Dataset: Exhaustion Land Experiment soil chemical properties 2012

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Example data: Soil Olsen-P and extractable Mg

Summary

Soil chemical properties of six plots of the Exhaustion Land Experiment, May 2012. Including soil C, N, pH, extractable cations and total elements. These plots were subsequently used for the datasets describing wheat growth and crop element uptake, and soil moisture and soil P and N dynamics, over the growing seasons 2013 and 2014.

Methods

Samples were taken from six plots: two P treatments - Control (P0) and P added (P3), each from three main plots: Plot 3 (FYM 1876-1901) Plot 7 (NPKNaMg 1876-1901) and Plot 9 (P only 1876-1901).

Annual P treatments:

• Control (P0): no P fertiliser applied since 1901
• P added (P3): 131 kgP/ha 1986-1992, 20kgP/ha 2000-2008, 15kgP/ha since 2009, all as triple superphosphate.

Technical Information

Soil samples (0-23cm) were taken in May 2012 with a 2.5cm diameter stainless steel auger, a minimum of nine cores on a "W" across the plots, aggregated, sieved to 2mm, mixed and air dried. A sub-sample was further processed, by fine grinding to pass a 44 mesh sieve or finer, using a Retsch Planetary ball mill to provide an analytical sample.

• Soil pH in water, with a soil:water ratio of 1:2.5. Air dried soil, sieved <2mm
• %N by combustion analysis, based on the Dumas method, using a LECO combustion system to measure total N. Measured on air-dried, finely ground soil
• %C by combustion analysis, based on the Dumas method, using a LECO combustion system to measure total C. Measured on air-dried, finely ground soil
• %CaCO3 analysed by a calcimeter. %IC derived from %CaCO3 by dividing by 8.333.
• % organic C calculated as total %C minus % inorganic C.
• PO₄-P, by Olsen P. Air-dried, sieved <2mm soil, mg/kg
• Al, Fe, Mn and P extracted by ammonium oxalate - oxalic acid. Air dried, <0.5mm fine ground soil, extract analysed by ICP-OES, mg/kg.
• Al, Fe, Mn and P extracted by Dithionite with citrate buffer, extract analysed by ICP-OES, mg/kg.
• K, Mg extracted by ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), extract analysed by ICP-OES, mg/kg.
• Pseudo "total" element extraction with Aqua Regia digestion: Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Ti, Zn, extract analysed by ICP-OES, mg/kg. Data for Mo and Se omitted as they were below the detection limit.

Related Documents

• Wu et al, 2019. Simulation of P chemistry, uptake and utilisation by winter wheat :

Related Datasets

• Exhaustion Land wheat growth and nutrient uptake over two growing seasons
• Exhaustion Land wheat growth, soil moisture and soil available P and N dynamics over two growing seasons

Contributors

• Sarah Dunham: Data collector
• Javier Hernandez-Allica: Data collector
• Steve McGrath: Researcher
• Margaret Glendining: Data curator
• Lianhai Wu: Researcher
• Martin Blackwell: Researcher
• Adrian Crosland: Data collector
• Ursula Donnellan: Data collector
• Xiaoyun Zhou: Data collector

Dataset Access and Conditions

Rights Holder

Rothamsted Research

License

This dataset is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (4.0).

Cite this Dataset

YOU MUST CITE AS: Sarah Dunham, Javier Hernandez-Allica, Steve McGrath (2025). Dataset: Exhaustion Land Experiment soil chemical properties 2012 Electronic Rothamsted Archive, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK https://doi.org/10.23637/rex4-soil2012-01

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