DANI.Slurry data originates from a long-term agricultural experiment initiated in 1970 on a former temperate deciduous woodland site in Northern Ireland. The study measures the impact of varying application rates of pig and cow slurry on cut grassland, compared to fertilized and unfertilized controls. Measurements include annual soil carbon content, triannual vegetation yield, and nutrient offtakes for elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, and sulfur.
Use Cases
- Model soil organic carbon trends from annual total carbon measurements under different slurry treatments.
- Analyze yield and total dry matter offtake response to fertilizer control versus slurry applications at 50, 100, and 200 m3/ha/y rates.
- Study nutrient balance by correlating nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content of offtake with slurry application rates and types.
- Investigate trace element accumulation (e.g., Mn, Cu, Zn) in soil and vegetation using concentration data collected from specific start years.
- Assess soil pH and extractable P and K variability using the initial 1969 quadrant samples and subsequent annual core samples from 0 15cm depths.
Strengths
- Experiment initiated in 1970, providing over 50 years of longitudinal data on treatment effects.
- Includes eight distinct treatment groups with replicated plots for controlled comparison of slurry types and application rates.
- Measurements cover both vegetation (yield, nutrient offtake) and soil (carbon, pH, extractable nutrients) at multiple depths (0 5cm, 5 10cm, 10 15cm).
Limitations
- Specific row count, sample size per plot, and total dataset size are unknown from the description.
- Soil total carbon measurements have gaps, with data recorded annually from 1971 1977 and in 1980 only.
- Geographic scope is limited to a single site in Northern Ireland, limiting generalizability to other soil types or climates.
Provenance
- Source
- Soil Organic Matter Network, Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture (DANI), via NASA Earthdata.
- Collection Method
- Field experiment with controlled treatments; soil and vegetation samples collected and analyzed using specified methods (e.g., Tinsley method for carbon).
- Time Range
- Experiment initiated 1970; soil measurements from 1971 onward; trace element data starts from 1982 (Mn), 1987 (Cu, Zn), and 1990 (S).
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Single experimental site in Northern Ireland, originally temperate deciduous woodland, on clay loam soil over triassic sandstone and silurian shale.