Determining the Influence of Organic Matter, Phosphorus, Potassium, and pH on Corn Yield Using Correlation, Linear Regression, and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, and pH (independent variables) affect com yield (dependent variable). Com yield was obtained with a yield monitor at the time of harvest and soil properties were collected and analyzed using laboratory methods. Pearson correlation and linear regression was performed for each independent variable, and multiple linear regression was performed with all of the independent variables simultaneously. It was found that pH was the most noteworthy variable with a negative correlation, followed by organic matter with a positive correlation. It was also found that phosphorus and potassium did not meet the 0.05 level of significance. It was the two variables that were not elements (organic matter and pH) that had greater effects on yield than the two elements (phosphorus and potassium). This leads one to conclude that elements do not play as crucial of a role in com yield as does other soil properties that can affect several variables simultaneously.