DOI: 10.5061/dryad.d7wm37q93
title: Data from: Phosphorus budgets of intensively managed row crops at a long-term agroecosystem research site in the upper US Midwest

description: Phosphorus (P) budgets for cropping systems provide insights for keeping
 soil P at optimal levels for crops while avoiding excess inputs. We
 quantified 12 years of P inputs (fertilizer and atmospheric deposition)
 and outputs (harvest and leaching losses) for replicated maize (Zea mays
 L.)—soybean (Glycine max L.)—wheat (Triticum aestivum) crop rotations
 under conventional, no-till, reduced input, and biologically based
 (organic without compost or manure) management systems at the Kellogg
 Biological Station LTAR site in southwest Michigan. Conventional, no-till,
 and reduced input systems were fertilized between 13 and 50 kg P ha−1
 depending on year. Soil test phosphorus (STP) was measured at 0- to 25-cm
 depth every autumn. Leached P was measured as dissolved P in the soil
 solution sampled beneath the rooting depth and combined with modeled
 percolation. Fertilization and harvest were the predominant P fluxes in
 the fertilized systems, whereas only harvest dominated P flux in the
 unfertilized organic system. Leaching losses were minor terms in the
 budgets, but leachate concentrations were nevertheless close to the range
 of concern for downstream eutrophication. Over the 12-year study period,
 the organic system exhibited a negative P balance (−82.0 kg P ha−1),
 coinciding with suboptimal STP levels, suggesting a need for P
 supplementation. In contrast, the fertilized systems showed positive P
 balances (mean: 70.1 kg P ha−1) with STP levels well above agronomic
 optima. Results underscore the importance of tailored P management
 strategies to sustain crop productivity while mitigating environmental
 impacts.
description: # Data from: Phosphorus budgets of intensively managed row crops at a
 long-term agroecosystem research site in the upper US Midwest Readme for
 data table (7 CSV data files), included in: Hussain et al (2025) titled
 “Phosphorus budgets of intensively managed row crops at a long-term
 agroecosystem research site in the upper US Midwest” for the publication
 in the Journal of Environmental Quality,
 [https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jeq2.70000](https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jeq2.70000) For further inquiries, please contact Mir Zaman Hussain ([mhussai@msu.edu](mailto:mhussai@msu.edu) or [mirzamanhussain@gmail.com](mailto:mirzamanhussain@gmail.com)). 7 CSV data files: 1. nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization (1._Nitrogen_and_phosphorus_fertilization_no_terms.csv) 2. grain yield of maize, wheat, and soybean (2._Grain_yield_of_maize__wheat_and_soybean_no_terms.csv) 3. stover yield of wheat (3._stover_yield_of_wheat_no_terms.csv) 4. plant tissue phosphorus concentration (4._Plant_tissue_phosphorus_concentration.csv) 5. drainage (5._drainage.csv) 6. dissolved phosphorus concentration (6._Dissolved_P_concentration.csv) 7. soil test phosphorus concentration (7._Soil_test_phosphorus_concentration_no_terms.csv) Each CSV data file is described below, along with an explanation of the variables. Note that ‘nan’ indicates data are missing or not available. 1. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization: Description: The nitrogen and phosphorus application rate based on the application rate of the composition of the material, applied in the cropping systems in the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) during 2008-2019. The first row indicates the data location in the manuscript (Tables 2 and 3, and Figure 3) The second to fifth rows indicate the original sources of the data The sixth to seventeenth rows indicate the general description of the data table The eighteenth row indicates the header for the variables and units Variables description (column-wise): * Column A. date: date of fertilizer application * Column B. treatment: “conventional” “no-till” “reduced input” “biologically based” * Column C. replicate: five replicates (R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5) * Column D. plot: Plot names as T1R1 (conventional x rep 1), T2R1 (no-till x rep1), T3R1 (reduced input x rep1), T4R1 (biologically based x rep1) and so on. * Column E. material: different fertilizer materials * Column F. material: rate of fertilizer materials (kilograms_Per_Hectare) * Column G. n_rate_kg_ha: rate of nitrogen application in the composition of the material applied (kiloGrams_Per_Hectare) * Column H. p_rate_kg_ha: rate of phosphate application in the composition of the material applied (kiloGrams_Per_Hectare) * Column I. k_rate_kg_ha: rate of potash application in the composition of the material applied (kiloGrams_Per_Hectare) * Column J. comment: indicates specific queries carried out with fertilizer application * Column K. source: indicates the location source for specific details of the fertilizer application 2. Grain yield of maize, wheat, and soybean: Description: This dataset contains the grain yield of row crop treatments of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) at the LTER Main Site and includes corn–– soybean–– winter wheat rotations (T1-T4), managed differently during 2008-2019. The first row indicates the data location in the manuscript (Tables 3, Figures 1 and 3) The second to fifth rows indicate the original sources of the data The sixth to twenty-first rows indicate general comments associated with grain yield The twenty-second row indicates the header for the variables The twenty-third row indicates the units Variables description (column-wise): * Column A. date: date of observation * Column B. treatment: “conventional” “no-till” “reduced input” “biologically based” * Column C. replicate: five replicates (R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5) * Column D. crop: “Glycine max”, “Triticum aestivum”, “Zea mays” * Column E. crop yield_only: crop yield only (bushelPer Acre) * Column F. crop yield_only: crop yield only (kilogramsPerHactare) * Column G. whole_plot_yield: whole plot yield (bushelPer Acre) * Column H. whole_plot_yield: whole plot yield (kilogramsPerHactare) * Column I. year: year 3. Stover yield of wheat: Description: This dataset contains the stover yield of wheat of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) at the LTER Main Site during 2008-2019. The first row indicates the data location in the manuscript (Table 3, Figures 1 and 3) The second to fifth rows indicate the original sources of the data The sixth to twelfth rows indicate general comments associated with crop yield The thirteenth row indicates the header for the variables Fourteenth row indicates the units Variables description (column-wise): * Column A. date: date of observation * Column B. treatment: “conventional” “no-till” (stover harvest done only in wheat for these treatments) * Column C. description: management (conventional and no-till) * Column D. replicate: five replicates (R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5) * Column E. crop: “Triticum aestivum” * Column F. yield: stover yield (kilogramsPerHactare) * Column G. year: year 4. Plant tissue phosphorus concentration: Description: This dataset contains the plant tissue phosphorus concentration of row crop treatments of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) at the LTER Main Site and includes corn–– soybean–– winter wheat rotations (T1-T4), managed differently during 2008-2019. The first row indicates the data location in the manuscript (Table 3, Figures 1 and 3) The second row indicates the header for the variable name along with units Variables description (column-wise): * Column A. year: year of observation * Column B. treatment: “conventional” “no-till” “reduced input” “biologically based” * Column C. crop: “SOYBEAN”, “WHEAT”, “MAIZE” * Column D. replicate: five replicates (R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5) * Column E. fraction: grain and stover * Column F. P (%). Plant tissue phosphorus concentration in percent * Column G. P (%). Plant tissue phosphorus concentration in PartsPerMillion 5. Drainage: Description: This dataset contains the drainage of row crop treatments of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) at the LTER Main Site and includes corn–– soybean–– winter wheat rotations (T1-T4), during 2008-2019. The first row indicates the data location in the manuscript (Table 3, Figure 3) The second row indicates the header for the variable name, along with units Variables description (column-wise): * Column A. year: year of observation * Column B. treatment: “conventional” “no-till” “reduced input” “biologically based” * Column C. crop: “SOYBEAN”, “WHEAT”, “MAIZE” * Column D. drainage: drainage in millimeters 6. Dissolved phosphorus concentration: Description: This dataset contains the dissolved phosphorus concentration of row crop treatments of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) at the LTER Main Site and includes corn–– soybean–– winter wheat rotations (T1-T4), during 2008-2019. The first row indicates the data location in the manuscript (Table 3, Figure 3) The second row indicates the header for the variable name, along with units Variables description (column-wise): * Column A. year: date of observation * Column B. treatment: “conventional” “no-till” “reduced input” “biologically based” * Column C. crop: “SOYBEAN”, “WHEAT”, “MAIZE” * Column D. replicate: five replicates (R2, R3, and R4) * Column E. total dissolved P (mg/L): total dissolved phosphorus in milligramPerLiter 7. Soil test phosphorus concentration: Description: This dataset contains the soil test phosphorus concentration of row crop treatments of the Main Cropping System Experiment (MCSE) at the LTER Main Site and includes corn–– soybean–– winter wheat rotations (T1-T4), during 2008-2019. The first row indicates the data location in the manuscript (Figure 2) The second to fourth rows indicate the original source of the data and related links The fifth to tenth rows indicate the general description of the data The eleventh row indicates the header for the variable name, along with units Variables description (column-wise): * Column A. year: year of observation * Column B. treatment: “conventional” “no-till” “reduced input” “biologically based” * Column C. crop: “SOYBEAN”, “WHEAT”, “MAIZE” * Column D. replicate: five replicates (R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5) * Column E. depth: 0-25 cm depth of sampling * Column F. Phosphorus_milligramsPerGram: Soil test phosphorus concentration in milligramsPerGram