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1. Main Cropping System Experiment Field Logs and treatment descriptions at the Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI (1988 to 2020)

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/e5642426f9200404b6ba3af45ad9c423  

   Robertson, G.; Simmons, Joseph (January 2020, Environmental Data Initiative)

   Dataset Abstract This dataset includes information about the LTER main site treatments, agronomic practices carried out on the treatments and approved site use requests. Most long-term hypotheses associated with the KBS LTER site are being tested within the context of the main cropping systems study. This study was established on a 48 ha area on which a series of 7 different cropping systems were established in spring 1988, each replicated in one of 6 ha blocks. An eighth never-tilled successional treatment, is located 200 m off-site, replicated as four 0.06 ha plots. Cropping systems include the following treatments: T1. Conventional: standard chemical input corn/soybean/wheat rotation conventionally tilled (corn/soybean prior to 1992) T2. No-till: standard chemical input corn/soybean/wheat rotation no-tilled (corn/soybean prior to 1992) T3. Reduced input: low chemical input corn/soybean/wheat rotation conventionally tilled (ridge till prior to 1994) T4. Biologically based: zero chemical input corn/soybean wheat rotation conventionally tilled (ridge till prior to 1994) T5. Poplar: Populus clones on short-rotation (6-7 year) harvest cycle T6. Alfalfa: continuous alfalfa, replanted every 6-7 years (converted to switchgrass in 2018) T7. Early successional community: historically tilled soil T8. Mown grassland community: never-tilled soil. For specific crops in a given year see the Annual Crops Summary Table. In 1993 a series of forest sites were added to the main cropping system study to provide long-term reference points and to allow hypotheses related to substrate diversity to be tested. These include: TCF. Coniferous forest: three conifer plantations, 40-60 years old TDF. Decidious forest: three deciduous forest stands, two old-growth and one 40-60 years post-cutting TSF. Mid-successional forest: three old-field (mid-successional) sites 40+ years post-abandonment. All share a soil series with the main cropping system treatments, and are within 5 km of all other sites. For each system (and for a number of microplot treatments nested within the main treatment plots) the following baseline variates are being measured (described in greater detail in other data set descriptors): plant characteristics, including species distributions and abundances, net aboveground productivity by functional group (crop vs. non dominant biomass, selected non dominant biomass), economic yields, tissue C and N contents, seed bank composition; soil chemical and physical characteristics, including soil moisture, pH, inorganic N and P pools, total C, N, and P pools, bulk density; soil biological characteristics, including microbial biomass C and N, N mineralization rates (buried bags), microbial populations, invertebrate populations; and insect and pathogen dynamics, including distributions and abundances of major insect pests and predators and of Fusarium pathogens. original data source http://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datasets/7 

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2. Baseline Spatial Variability Study at the Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI (1988)

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/b49a09795d29e0c1149efcc068f3426e  

   Robertson, G.; Wall, Diana; Gross, Katherine; Renner, Karen (January 2019, Environmental Data Initiative)

   Dataset Abstract A spatial variability study conducted across the LTER Main Site area (45 ha) at KBS prior to dividing the site into 1-ha experimental plots. During the 1988 growing season a stratified unaligned sampling scheme was used to collect 400-600 geo-referenced samples across the site (uniformly planted to a single variety of soybeans) for: geomorphological characteristics (microtopography, soil horizon depths, bulk density, texture); soil chemical characteristics (pH, NO3, NH4, total C, total N, moisture, inorganic P, trace metals); soil biological characteristics (N mineralization potentials, microbial biomass C, microbial biomass N, fungal/bacterial ratios, nematodes and other soil invertebrates; seed bank size); plant weed species abundance, weed biomass at peak standing crop); and insect characteristics (major pest and predator species). Most soil samples were taken before crop emergence, plant phenology samples were taken throughout the growing season, biomass samples were taken at physiological maturity, and insect samples were taken continuously. Dried soil and plant samples are archived for potential future analysis. original data source http://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datasets/6 

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3. Half‐Century History of Crop Nitrogen Budget in the Conterminous United States: Variations Over Time, Space and Crop Types

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GB006876  

   Zhang, Jien; Cao, Peiyu; Lu, Chaoqun (October 2021, Global Biogeochemical Cycles)

   Abstract Spatiotemporal patterns of crop nitrogen (N) budget have important implications for agricultural N management and environmental policy. Previous studies examined crop N budget in different countries but often overlooked cross‐crop differences at sub‐national scales. In this study, we synthesize multiple databases to examine the N budget of eight major crops in the United States at the county scale during 1970–2019. Our analyses show that national crop N use efficiency (NUE) increased from 0.55 kg N kg⁻¹ N in the 1970s to 0.65 kg N kg⁻¹ N in the 2010s. Four out of eight crops such as corn, rice, cotton, and sorghum demonstrated an increasing NUE trend during the study period, whereas the other crops overall presented a declining NUE trend. Nationwide, about 41% of the total N input was not used by these crops (i.e., N surplus) over the study period, of which temporal variation was mainly driven by corn due to its large planting area and high N input. The national N surplus first increased in the 1970s and remained relatively stable till the 2000s. Since the early 2010s, however, N surplus began to decline and approached the levels in the early 1970s—an encouraging development that may lead to decreased N pollution to the environment. The hotspots of national N surplus coincided with corn‐ and rice‐producing counties. The sub‐national variations and temporal dynamics in crop N budget revealed in this study highlight the urgent need to understand the farm‐level crop N balance and the dominant factors controlling crop NUE for mitigating N pollution. 

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4. Plant Community and Ecosystem Responses to Long-term Fertilization & Disturbance at the Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, MI (1989 to 2019)

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/ea22c735ddfe17c595ccca978a87d109  

   Gross, Katherine; Lau, Jennifer (January 2022, Environmental Data Initiative)

   Dataset AbstractThis work is part of the long-term sampling and monitoring of successional dynamics in abandoned fields – and responses to N-fertilization. Data from this research has been, and will continue to, contribute to LTER cross-site analysis of plant community dynamics, diversity-productivity, and responses to fertilization and disturbance.N-fertilized and tilled (disturbed) microplots are located in the NW corner of all treatment 7 (early successional communities) on the LTER main site. Experimental treatments are: 1) Nitrogen addition vs. no nitrogen addition and 2) Annual disturbance vs. undisturbedoriginal data source http://lter.kbs.msu.edu/datasets/60 

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5. Nitrogen mineralization potential in soils collected from the Jornada Basin LTER-I transect and extracted at field collection time, 1989

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/ec6281898e12db65a56c0fc624cfb05e  

   Whitford, Walter G (January 2021, Environmental Data Initiative)

   This data package contains nitrogen mineralization data from soils collected along the Jornada Basin LTER (LTER-I) transects in southern New Mexico, USA. These transects are located in a livestock exclosure established in 1982 in the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) and run from the middle of the College Playa up to the foot of Mt. Summerford (2.7 km in length). Prior to the exclosure, the study site was moderately to heavily grazed for the past 100 years. The Treatment transect was treated annually with ammonium nitrate fertilizer (NH4NO3 at 10g N/m2/yr) until 1987. Along each transect, 91 stations, each with a plant intercept line, are spaced at 30 meter intervals. For this dataset, 60 soil samples (total) were collected along the control and fertilized treatment transects and mixed with potassium chloride solution (KCl) on Nov 27, 1989, then filter extracted the following day. The dataset contains a soil moisture correction factor, sample weights, total inorganic nitrogen (NO3+NO2-N), and nitrogen in ammonium (NH4-N) for Week F (field) of nitrogen mineralization potentials. The soil mineralization data complements the biomass harvest measurements that occurred in September 1989 (dataset knb-lter-jrn.210015001). This study is complete. 

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