Soil variables for use in economic analysis

Weeks, D; Snyder, J

Soil variables for use in economic analysis

Authors

David Weeks
J. Herbert Snyder

Authors Affiliations

David Weeks was Professor of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Economist in the Experiment Station and on the Giannini Foundation, University of California, Berkeley; J. Herbert Snyder was Assistant Professor in Agricultural Economics, Junior Agricultural Economist in the Experiment Station and on the Giannini Foundation, University of California, Davis.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 26(11):497-520. DOI:10.3733/hilg.v26n11p497. April 1957.

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Abstract

As a preliminary step in evaluating the economic benefits of soil conservation practices, it has been necessary to quantify physical soil productivity in terms of a minimum number of variables. With this objective in view, this paper reports the preliminary results of a graphical analysis of functional relations between certain soil characteristics and yields of Yellow Newtown apples in the lower Pajaro Valley in Santa Cruz County, California. It has been concluded that the percentage by weight of surface soil particles 5 microns or less in diameter, or the corresponding moisture equivalent, may be used as a fairly adequate representation of the more important surface soil characteristics within the research area. Factor A of the Storie soil-rating index similarly may be used to represent approximately the soil profile characteristics. Variations in these two measures and in tree age accounted for about 44 per cent of the variations in yields.

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