A 9-year study from 2012-2020 in Boone, Iowa, compares soil health under conventional and organic farming systems. The dataset contains measurements of microbial biomass C, potentially mineralizable C and N, pH, wet-aggregate stability, and concentrations of organic C, total N, inorganic N, P, and K. Data were collected to address farmer questions about soil health changes and published in Ruis et al. (2025).
Use Cases
- Model the relationship between organic C concentration and wet-aggregate stability across different crop rotations.
- Analyze temporal trends in microbial biomass C and inorganic N (NH4 and NO3) under organic perennial pasture management.
- Compare soil pH and total N levels between conventional corn-soybean and organic corn-soybean-oat/alfalfa-alfalfa systems.
- Assess correlations between potentially mineralizable C and nutrient concentrations like P and K over the 9-year period.
Strengths
- Data spans a 9-year longitudinal study from 2012 to 2020, providing a multi-year perspective.
- Includes multiple soil health indicators such as microbial biomass, aggregate stability, and nutrient concentrations.
- Specifically designed to answer practical farmer questions regarding organic farming impacts.
- Associated with a peer-reviewed publication (Ruis et al., 2025) in the Soil Science Society of America Journal.
Limitations
- Geographic scope is limited to a single experimental site in Boone, Iowa, reducing generalizability.
- Sample size and number of rows are unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power.
- Lacks column-level metadata, making precise data structure and variable definitions unclear.
Provenance
- Source
- Department of Agriculture, associated with research published in Soil Science Society of America Journal.
- Collection Method
- Soil samples were collected annually and analyzed using standard laboratory methods.
- Time Range
- 2012-2020
- Freshness
- Data covers up to 2020 and was last updated on the platform in February 2026.
- Geography
- Experimental site near Boone, Iowa, US Midwest.