Agronomic Field Log — 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Data in the KBS LTER core database may not be published without written permission of the lead investigator or project director Full terms of use
A narrative log of the agronomic activities or observations made on MCSE Treatments. For specific questions, review the related tables or use the browsable interface of the aglog available at https://aglog.kbs.msu.edu
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: | KBS004-001.140 |
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 | usually the date on which the observation was authored, unless otherwise noted | |
comment | prose text representing an observation, e.g. a log entry | |
author | author of the observation |
Data Excerpt
obs_date | comment | author |
---|---|---|
2025-05-12 | 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. | Jarrod Rhoades |
2025-05-02 | Flail mowed LTER T8 plots, all reps to control the growth of woody species. Equipment used: JD 7420a tractor and JD 115 flail mower. Mowing not done in fall of 2024 due to adverse weather conditions. Mowing was done as high as the equipment permitted (approx. 12" from the ground). This was done to not damage any annual grasses and only remove woody species. | Ethan Rocklin |
2025-04-30 | Fertilized LTER Resource Gradient (N-Rate) Study, Irrigated and Rainfed winter wheat plots as well as the T8nt winter wheat plots with 28%. Fertilizer applications were with 28-0-0 which supplied 28% nitrogen in the form of Urea-Ammonium Nitrate (UAN). T8nt plots fertilized at 18 gallons/A to match the T1 and T2 treatments, providing 54 lbs of nitrogen. N-Rate treatments F1, F2 had no additional nitrogen applied. Treatment F1 is the no nitrogen treatment and treatment F2 already had the nitrogen applied via an ammonium sulfate application earlier in the spring. The previous application provided 20 lbs of nitrogen and this application provides the rest. F3 (103, 205, 302, 407, 503, 605, 702, 807) 20 lbs N/A (6.7 gal/A); F4 (104, 208, 305, 403, 504, 608, 705, 803) 40 lbs N/A (13.4 gal/A); F5 (105, 204, 306, 401, 505, 604, 706, 801) 60 lbs N/A (20.1 gal/A); F6 (106, 209, 308, 402, 506, 609, 708, 802) 80 lbs N/A (26.7 gal/A); F7 (107, 201, 307, 408, 507, 601, 707, 808) 100 lbs N/A (33.6 gal/A); F8 (108, 207, 303, 405, 508, 607, 703, 805) 120 lbs N/A (40.3 .5 gal/A); F9 (109, 206, 301, 409, 509, 606, 701, 809) 140 lbs N/A (47.0 gal/A). Application was done with JD 7420b tractor and Fast 3 point sprayer with 45' boom. The boom was folded to 30' and only a 15' section was used for the application. Nozzles used were Chafer stream bars and Teejet 015 green SJ3 fertilizer nozzles. The Teejet nozzles were used for the F3 and F4 treatments. The Chafer stream bars were used on orifice setting #1 except for F9 which had to be increased to setting #2. Weather at 9:15 am; Temperature: 45.4°F Wind Speed: 7.95 mph Wind Direction: East RH: 66.0% Weather at 3:45 pm; Temperature: 64.5°F Wind Speed: 1.72 mph Wind Direction: North East RH: 33.5% | Ethan Rocklin |
2025-04-28 | Fertilized LTER Main Site Winter Wheat plots T1 and T2 (all reps) with 28% Nitrogen liquid fertilizer. Order of application: T2R6, T1R6, T2R5, T1R5, T2R3, T2R2, T1T1, T2R4, T1R4, T1R2, T2R1, T1R3. Application rate was 18 gallons/A, providing approx. 54 lbs of Nitrogen. Application began at 9:45 am and concluded at 3:00 pm. Weather at 9:45 am; Temperature: 59.7°F Wind Speed: 9.28 mph Wind Direction: South RH: 42.6% Weather at 3:00 pm; Temperature: 73.9°F Wind Speed: 12.27 mph Wind Direction: South RH: 26.6% Marginal wind conditions are generally not a concern when applying fertilizers, as any drift that could occur would be minimal and non damaging. Additionally the Chafer Stream Bars are not susceptible to drifting conditions. | Ethan Rocklin |
2025-04-22 | Harvested (mowed and baled) switchgrass in T6, reps: 6, 5, 3, 4, 2, and 1. Micro-plots in the Northwest corner of each rep were already harvested in fall of 2024. Equipment used: JD 4995 Discbine. JD 7520 tractor and Krone Baler, JD 6140R tractor to move bales to the trailer, Dodge 1 ton truck and trailer. Locations where the bales dropped from the baler were marked with Ag Leader GPS on the JD 7520 tractor. This is the 2024 growing season harvest. T6 plots were not harvested in the fall of 2024 so in the spring of 2025 T6 plots were harvested. T6 plots were not harvested in the fall of 2024 for several reasons: had a late frost date in 2024 so biomass did not senesce and dry down enough to bale. After the biomass did senescence in the fall of 2024 we received consistent moisture in the form of rain and snow that prevented T6 plots from being harvested in the fall of 2024. | Joe Simmons |