A 1976-initiated agricultural experiment compares four tillage systems—moldboard plough, chisel plow, ridge-plant, and no-till—on continuous and rotated corn and soybean plots. Measurements include yearly crop yield, total dry matter offtake, and detailed soil properties like pH, phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter content sampled at multiple depths. The site, a Chalmers silty clay loam, has a documented land-use history extending back to native prairie before 1880.
Use Cases
- Model yearly crop yield based on tillage system, rotation type, and soil properties like organic matter content and pH.
- Analyze trends in soil carbon, phosphorus, and potassium levels over time from measurements taken in 1981 and 1994.
- Compare the effects of moldboard ploughing versus no-till planting on soil bulk density and cation exchange capacity.
- Study the relationship between soil layer depth (e.g., 0 7.5 cm, 7.5 15 cm) and nutrient measurements across different sampling years.
Strengths
- Experiment spans multiple decades, initiated in 1976 with historical site data from 1880.
- Detailed soil characterization includes 15+ properties like clay/silt/sand percentages, bulk density, and water holding capacity.
- Multiple tillage treatments (4) and crop rotations (4) provide a structured comparative framework.
Limitations
- Specific row count, sample size, and temporal frequency for many measurements are not provided.
- Soil measurements like total carbon were made only twice (1981 and 1994), limiting temporal resolution for that variable.
- Geographic coverage is limited to a single site with a specific Chalmers silty clay loam soil type.
Provenance
- Source
- SCIOPS via NASA Earthdata
- Collection Method
- Field experiment with controlled tillage treatments and rotations; soil and vegetation sampling.
- Time Range
- Experiment initiated 1976; site history documented from before 1880. Soil measurements recorded in 1981, 1985, and 1994.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Single agricultural site (soil type: Chalmers silty clay loam).