Over half of the US's sugarcane production comes from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) in Florida (USA). However, the loss of organic soils due to oxidation, which results in the gradual reduction of soil depth, poses a significant concern for the future of agriculture throughout the EAA. Understanding the relationship between soil depth and crop production in the EAA is critical to developing sustainable and profitable farming practices in the region. This study aimed to assess the depths of organic soils in the EAA and monitor the growth of sugarcane to elucidate the relationship between crop growth and soil depths. The soil depth of five locations spanning a total area of 90 ha were surveyed. The sugarcane yield was estimated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from publicly available Landsat 8 satellite images. The soil survey revealed considerable spatial variation in soil depths, ranging from 10 to 105 cm with an average of 51 cm. Over half of the study area had soil depths below 50 cm, while only 11.9 % of the area had soil depths exceeding 80 cm. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated sugarcane variety and age significantly impacts the yield. However, no significant relationship was found between soil depth and sugarcane yields, which can be attributed to the ample availability of nutrients and water in the region, coupled with advancements in agricultural technologies such as stringent soil testing for nutrient recommendations and effective plant breeding that address the constraints posed by shallow soils. The undetectable threshold for soil depth where crop yields decline may be due to numerous reasons including dataset constraints, and modelling limitations. For sugarcane production to be sustainable and profitable in the region soil loss of Histosols in the region warrants further research. Proactive interventions and conservation farming practices are imperative to mitigate soil loss within the region. The outcomes of this study furnish valuable data to support decision-makers in policy formulation, with significant implications for food security and environmental sustainability.

中文翻译：

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浅层土壤耕作：美国佛罗里达州大沼泽地农业区土壤深度对作物生长的影响


美国一半以上的甘蔗产量来自（美国）佛罗里达州的大沼泽地农业区 (EAA)。然而，由于氧化导致有机土壤流失，导致土壤深度逐渐减少，这对整个东亚区农业的未来构成了重大担忧。了解 EAA 土壤深度与作物产量之间的关系对于在该地区发展可持续和盈利的农业实践至关重要。本研究旨在评估东亚区有机土壤的深度并监测甘蔗的生长，以阐明作物生长与土壤深度之间的关系。对总面积 90 公顷的 5 个地点的土壤深度进行了调查。甘蔗产量是使用源自公开的 Landsat 8 卫星图像的归一化植被指数 (NDVI) 估算的。土壤调查显示土壤深度存在相当大的空间变化，范围为 10 至 105 厘米，平均为 51 厘米。超过一半的研究区域土壤深度在50厘米以下，而只有11.9%的区域土壤深度超过80厘米。多元线性回归分析表明甘蔗品种和树龄显着影响产量。然而，没有发现土壤深度和甘蔗产量之间存在显着关系，这可以归因于该地区有充足的养分和水，再加上农业技术的进步，例如严格的土壤测试以提出养分建议和有效的植物育种，以解决浅层土壤带来的限制。农作物产量下降的土壤深度无法检测的阈值可能是由于多种原因造成的，包括数据集限制和建模限制。 为了使该地区的甘蔗生产可持续且有利可图，该地区的组织土土壤流失值得进一步研究。积极的干预措施和保护性耕作对于减轻该地区的土壤流失至关重要。这项研究的结果为支持决策者制定政策提供了宝贵的数据，对粮食安全和环境可持续性具有重大影响。