Narrative 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Data in the KBS LTER core database may not be published without written permission of the lead investigator or project director Full terms of use
This log details agronomic activity on the LTER site. The related tables include views of the agronomic log that might be useful to answer more specific question.
A browsable interface of the aglog is available at https://aglog.kbs.msu.edu
Annual Ag Reports are available for the years 2011 2012
This datatable is part of the Main Cropping System Experiment Field Logs and treatment descriptions dataset. 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. Switchgrass (converted in 2018 from continuous alfalfa, replanted every 6-7 years)
- 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.
Note
Experiment: | Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) |
Data available from: | May 1988 to March 2020 |
Dataset: | KBS004 |
Datatable ID: | KBS004-001.100 |
Repository link: | http://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/e5642426f9200404b6ba3af45ad9c423 |
Related Tables: | |
Personnel: |
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Last Updated | 2020-07-10 |
Variate | Description | Units |
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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 |
Protocols |
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MCSE: Agronomic Protocol |
Data Excerpt
obs_date | comment | author |
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2022-10-04 | Herbicide application to T1 plots (reps 4, 1, 5, 2, 6). Round Up power max at 44 oz per acre (1.5 lbs per acre) and Ammonium Sulfate at 3.4 lbs per acre were applied as a burndown. 2-4D was not applied to T1 plots because of the low perennial weed pressure and the upcoming tillage. Rate of spray was 20gal/acre on JD rate controller. Application began at 12:20 pm, weather conditions at the time were: 64.4°F, wind speed 4.56 mph, wind direction West, humidity 43.6% Application concluded at 4:30 pm, weather conditions at the time were: 70.5°F, wind speed 6.06 mph, wind direction West, relative humidity 29.0%, and sunny. REI: 4 hours. Application was completed using the 30ft top air sprayer and the John Deere 5220 tractor. Application in T1R6 was not completed same day, ran out of product. Remainder of T1R6 was sprayed next day, 10/5/22. Application began with the remainder of T2R6 from the previous application. | Ethan Rocklin |
2022-10-03 | Herbicide application to T2 plots (reps 4, 3, 1, 2, 5, 6). A tank mix of Round Up power max at 44 oz per acre (1.5 lbs per acre), 2-4D at 21.3 oz per acre (0.63 pounds per acre), and Ammonium Sulfate at 3.4 lbs per acre were applied as a burndown. The rate of 2-4D was decreased due quantity available on hand. Rate of spray was 20gal/acre on JD rate controller. Application began at 1:30 pm, weather conditions at the time were: 62.3°F, wind speed 1.00 mph, wind direction East, humidity 40.3% Application concluded at 5:30 pm, weather conditions at the time were: 68.7°F, wind speed 4.42 mph, wind direction Northeast, relative humidity 26.6%, and sunny. REI: 12 hours. Application was completed using the 30ft top air sprayer and the John Deere 5220 tractor. Application in T2R6 was not completed same day, ran out of product. Remainder of T2R6 was sprayed next day, 10/4/22 without 2-4D. | Ethan Rocklin |
2022-09-30 | Herbicide application to Lysimeter field, Resource Gradient Study, and T8nt plots. A tank mix of Round Up power max at 44 oz per acre (1.5 lbs per acre), 2-4D at 1 Quart per acre (3.325 pounds per acre), and Ammonium Sulfate at 3.4 lbs per acre were applied as a burndown. Rate of spray was 20gal/acre on JD rate controller. Application began at 12:30 pm, weather conditions at the time were: 58.5°F, wind speed 1.21 mph, wind direction East, relative humidity 62.5%, and sunny. Application concluded at 4:00 pm, weather conditions at the time were: 64.3°F, wind speed 1.03 mph, wind direction Northeast, relative humidity 49.2%, and sunny. REI: 12 hours. Application was completed using the 30ft top air sprayer and the John Deere 5220 tractor. | Ethan Rocklin |
2022-09-16 | Mowed the weeds in the T8nt plots. No wheat was harvested for yield in/from any of these plots in 2022. | Ethan Rocklin |
2022-09-09 | Flail mowed ragweed in all reps of LTER Main Site T4 treatment, reps 5, 3, 2, 1, 6, and 4. Due to the density of the standing weeds, each plot was mowed twice to achieve better control. Second mowing of reps, 5, 2, 4 and 6 occurred on September 12. Equipment used: JD 7420a tractor and JD 115 flail mower. | Ethan Rocklin |