Long-term ecological research at Kellogg Biological Station
- Local identifier
- Main site
- Years operational
- 1989—
- Objective
- Initiated to test the ability of biology to substitute for chemical inputs while supporting high crop yields, and quantity slow and dynamic processes such as soil carbon, biodiversity and greenhouse gases associated with agricultural row crop systems
- Description
- Established in 1989, the main site LTER evaluates four management systems conventional, no-till, low-input and biological (organic) of a three year crop rotation of soybean, wheat and maize. The two biological systems (low input and organic) rely on cover crops for nitrogen fixation, soil building and pest regulation services, not on manure transfers.
- Data Access Statement
- Available online with registration
- Data Access Notes
- freely available online but account registration required first
- Data license
- No data license
- Data policy
- https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/data/terms-of-use/
- Organizations
- Michigan State Universityresearch organisationKellogg Biological Stationexperimental research station
- People
- Prof Phil Robertsonprincipal investigatorKellogg Biological Station, Michigan State UniversityDepartment of Plant, Soil & Microbial SciencesSven Bohmdata managerKellogg Biological Station, Michigan State UniversityProf Sieglinde Snaapprincipal investigatorKellogg Biological Station, Michigan State UniversityDepartment of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences
Site: LTER-KBS
- Type
- research station field
- Local code
- Main site
- Location
- Hickory CornersMichiganUSA
- Geographic location
- 42.4093751, -85.3733892
- Elevation
- 288 Metres
- Visits permitted?
- No
- History
- Site description at https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/research/site-description-and-maps/general-description/
- Soil type
- fluvisol
- Soil description
- Soils in the area developed on glacial till, and include well- and poorly-drained (USDA system) alfisols, mollisols, and entisols
- Climatic type
- warm humid continental climate
- Climate properties
Variable Time period Value (range) Units air temperature 10.1 degree Celsius precipitation 1000 millimeter
Design period: Main period (1989—)
- Design Type
- Randomized complete block design
- Description
- Soil, herbage and grain samples are collected and retained each year additional site description at https://lter.kbs.msu.edu/research/long-term-experiments/main-cropping-system-experiment/
- Design description
- The four main management system treatments with a three year rotation (one crop phase per year) of soybean, wheat and corn is within a matrix of three other treatments: Continuous lucerne (alfalfa), continuous popular trees, a conversion to early successional old field weedy site for a total of 7 treatments * 6 reps = 42 plots. Monitoring of sites within nearby forests is also carried out in conjunction as reference sites. Plots are 100 x 100 m
- Number of plots
- 42
- Number of replicates
- 6
- Number of harvests per year
- 1
- Crops
Crop Years grown maize soybeans wheat alfalfa Populus successional plots - Crop Rotation
- Unnamed
- 1soybeans
- 2wheat
- 3maize
- Factor
- Factor name
- Factor levels
- tillage process Plot application: Whole plot
conventional tillage
Inputs and tillage typical of USA Upper Midwestno-till
zero tillage plus inputs as in conventionallow input
One-third less nitrogen fertilizer + cover cropsorganic
no chemical inputs, cover crops
- Measurements
Variable Material Units Frequency Scale Comment grain yield trait All crops annual plant quality traits All crops occasionally weed abundance Not specified annual weed species richness Not specified annual soil total carbon Soil occasionally