Spatial variability data for a 45-hectare soybean field was collected during the 1988 growing season. The dataset contains 400-600 sample points with measurements across geomorphological, soil chemical, soil biological, plant, and insect characteristics. Research was conducted at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, a facility administered by Michigan State University.
Use Cases
- Model spatial correlation of soil properties like pH, NO3, and bulk density using provided semivariograms and kriged interpolation files.
- Analyze relationships between soil chemical characteristics (total C, total N, inorganic P) and plant characteristics (crop biomass, crop N content).
- Study the distribution of soil biological features (microbial biomass C, nematodes, fungal/bacterial ratios) across a uniform cropping landscape.
- Investigate correlations between weed species abundance, insect pest/predator species data, and underlying soil geomorphology (microtopography, soil horizon depths).
Strengths
- Approximately 400-600 spatially referenced sample points provide a dense sampling scheme.
- Data covers five major measurement categories (geomorphological, chemical, biological, plant, insect) for a holistic site view.
- Includes derived analytical products like semivariograms and a kriging interpolation file at 3-meter intervals.
Limitations
- Data is from a single growing season (1988), limiting analysis of temporal trends.
- Sample size, while dense, is from a single 45-hectare site, reducing generalizability.
- Specific sample counts per measured variate are not detailed, which may obscure completeness for some features.
Provenance
- Source
- Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, Kellogg Biological Station (KBS), Michigan State University.
- Collection Method
- Stratified unaligned sampling scheme used to collect soil, plant, and insect samples across a 45-hectare area uniformly planted with soybeans.
- Time Range
- 1988 growing season.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- 45-hectare main experimental area at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Michigan, USA.