Agronomic Field Log (Expanded) — Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE)
Data in the KBS LTER core database may not be published without written permission of the lead investigator or project director Full terms of use
The expanded log of agronomic activities on MCSE treatments, including the materials applied, rate of application, and equipment associated with the agronomic activity
This datatable is part of the Agronomic Practices of the Main Cropping System Experiment dataset.
This dataset includes information on the agronomic practices of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE), including the LTER Main Site treatments (T1-T8) and the Mid-successional (TSF) and Forested (TCF, TDF) sites.
Most long-term hypotheses of the KBS LTER are tested within the context of the MCSE. The LTER Main Site contains 7 different cropping systems (T1-T7) established in 1988 on a 48-ha area divided into 6 replicate blocks (R1-R6) of seven 1-ha plots. Each system is replicated in each block. The eighth system (T8) is a mown grassland on never-tilled soil, located 200 m off-site and replicated in four 0.06 ha plots.
Current MCSE treatments at the LTER Main Site include:
- Conventional (T1): standard chemical input corn/soybean/wheat rotation conventionally tilled (corn/soybean prior to 1992)
- No-till (T2): standard chemical input corn/soybean/wheat rotation no-tilled (corn/soybean prior to 1992)
- Reduced Input (T3): low chemical input corn/soybean/wheat rotation conventionally tilled (ridge till prior to 1994), with a center prairie strip planted in each replicate in 2019
- Biologically Based (T4): zero chemical input corn/soybean wheat rotation conventionally tilled (ridge till prior to 1994), with a center prairie strip planted in each replicate in 2019
- Poplar (T5): Populus clones on short-rotation (6-7 year) harvest cycle
- Switchgrass (T6): planted in 2019 and converted in 2018 from continuous alfalfa, replanted every 6-7 years)
- Early Successional (T7): early successional community on historically tilled soil abandoned in 1989 and burned annually since 1997
- Mown Grassland (Never Tilled; T8); successional community on never-tilled soil, mown annually since 1960
In 1993 three additional successional sites were added to the MCSE to provide reference communities for population and process comparisons. All are within 3 km of and share the same soil series as the LTER Main Site. These include:
- Mid-successional (TSF): three old-field sites on historically tilled cropland abandoned in the 1950s and 1960s
- Coniferous Forest (TCF): three conifer long-rotation plantations established in 1965
- Deciduous Forest (TDF): three deciduous forest stands, two old-growth and one logged once ca. 1960
For each treatment (and for some, microplots nested within treatment plots) the following variates are routinely measured (described in greater detail in associated datasets):
- plant characteristics including species distributions and abundances, aboveground net primary production by function;
- soil chemical and physical characteristics, including soil moisture, pH, inorganic N pools, total C and N, and bulk density;
- soil biological characteristics including greenhouse gas fluxes, soil leachate, N mineralization potential (buried bags); and
- insect dynamics including distributions and abundances of major insect pests and predators.
Note
| Experiment: | Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) |
| Data available from: | May 1988 to March 2020 |
| Dataset: | KBS004 |
| Datatable ID: | KBS004-008.140 |
| Repository link: | http://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/e5642426f9200404b6ba3af45ad9c423 |
| Related Tables: | |
| Personnel: |
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| Last Updated | 2024-03-18 |
| Variate | Description | Units |
|---|---|---|
| obs date | observation date | |
| treatment | experimental treatment | |
| observation type | type of activity recorded | |
| comment | a description of the activity performed | |
| name | plot name where the activity occurred | |
| material | material applied if any | |
| rate | rate at which the material was applied | |
| units | rate units | |
| equipment | equipment used | |
| observation id | observation id. This can be used to retrieve the original observation at http://aglog.kbs.msu.edu/observations/ |
Data Excerpt
| obs_date | treatment | observation_type | comment | name | material | rate | units | equipment | observation_id |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-12 | T7 | Soil Preparation | Chisel Plowed the annually tilled micro-plot area in the LTER Main Site Treatment T7 plots (5, 1, 3, 4, 2, and 6), Early Successional plots. Micro-plots were chisel plowed from South to North starting in the Southeast corner of micro-plot, with a double headland pass on the North edge of micro-plots. One headland pass on the South edge of the plot. Soil finished the same plots in the afternoon in the same order. The same way of working them South to North with one headland pass on the south side and two headland passes on the north side trying to alternate directions on headland pass from chisel plowing if trees weren't in the way. | T7_micro-plots | John Deere 7520 Tractor | 6584 | |||
| 2025-05-12 | T7 | Soil Preparation | Chisel Plowed the annually tilled micro-plot area in the LTER Main Site Treatment T7 plots (5, 1, 3, 4, 2, and 6), Early Successional plots. Micro-plots were chisel plowed from South to North starting in the Southeast corner of micro-plot, with a double headland pass on the North edge of micro-plots. One headland pass on the South edge of the plot. Soil finished the same plots in the afternoon in the same order. The same way of working them South to North with one headland pass on the south side and two headland passes on the north side trying to alternate directions on headland pass from chisel plowing if trees weren't in the way. | T7_micro-plots | John Deere 960 10' field cultivator | 6584 | |||
| 2025-05-12 | T7 | Soil Preparation | Chisel Plowed the annually tilled micro-plot area in the LTER Main Site Treatment T7 plots (5, 1, 3, 4, 2, and 6), Early Successional plots. Micro-plots were chisel plowed from South to North starting in the Southeast corner of micro-plot, with a double headland pass on the North edge of micro-plots. One headland pass on the South edge of the plot. Soil finished the same plots in the afternoon in the same order. The same way of working them South to North with one headland pass on the south side and two headland passes on the north side trying to alternate directions on headland pass from chisel plowing if trees weren't in the way. | T7_micro-plots | John Deere 714 Chisel plow | 6584 | |||
| 2025-05-12 | T7 | Soil Preparation | Chisel Plowed the annually tilled micro-plot area in the LTER Main Site Treatment T7 plots (5, 1, 3, 4, 2, and 6), Early Successional plots. Micro-plots were chisel plowed from South to North starting in the Southeast corner of micro-plot, with a double headland pass on the North edge of micro-plots. One headland pass on the South edge of the plot. Soil finished the same plots in the afternoon in the same order. The same way of working them South to North with one headland pass on the south side and two headland passes on the north side trying to alternate directions on headland pass from chisel plowing if trees weren't in the way. | T7_micro-plots | John Deere 7420a Tractor | 6584 | |||
| 2025-05-12 | T7 | Mechanical Weed Control | Chisel Plowed the annually tilled micro-plot area in the LTER Main Site Treatment T7 plots (5, 1, 3, 4, 2, and 6), Early Successional plots. Micro-plots were chisel plowed from South to North starting in the Southeast corner of micro-plot, with a double headland pass on the North edge of micro-plots. One headland pass on the South edge of the plot. Soil finished the same plots in the afternoon in the same order. The same way of working them South to North with one headland pass on the south side and two headland passes on the north side trying to alternate directions on headland pass from chisel plowing if trees weren't in the way. | T7_micro-plots | John Deere 7520 Tractor | 6584 |