Sampling Design Optimization on Arable Lands for Integrated Soil Monitoring for Sustainable Production

Proper experimental design that ensures effective sampling of each recorded environmental variable is essential during planning integrated soil-monitoring programs with the aim of assessing the ecological state of soils. In our study, three different regular sampling designs (standard, 50,000 m2; reduced area, 635 m2; and reduced area and sampling size, 2500 m2) were tested, and the required sampling sizes for 10%, 20%, and 40% minimum detectable change were calculated. Sampling designs were tested from the aspect of the most effective sampling, a sampling with the greatest precision and the least bias. The parameters determined in this study were the following: total microbial activity, concentration of 14 potentially toxic microelements, and basic soil physical and chemical characteristics. The results are presented by the example of total microbial activity and microelement concentration studies. Twenty to 120 soil samples were taken from each selected arable land under intensive and organic cultivatio...