ARS | Publication request: Opportunities to utilize the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory soil sample archive

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 20, 2007
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Citation: Liebig, M.A., Wikenheiser, D.J., Nichols, K.A. 2008. Opportunities to utilize the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory soil sample archive. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 72:975-977.

Interpretive Summary: Archived soil samples are an important resource for quantifying changes in soil properties over long periods of time. In the 1940s, a soil archive at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL) was initiated to provide the opportunity for temporal characterizations of long-term grazing and cropping management practices on soil properties. Over 4500 samples are included in the NGPRL soil archive, ranging in age from 54 to 90 yr. Samples emanated from both grazing and cropping studies, with the former being conducted near Mandan, ND, and the latter as a part of an evaluation of soil carbon and nitrogen change at multiple locations throughout the Great Plains. Collaborative research opportunities using the NGPRL soil archive abound, and may include characterizations of soil organic matter, micronutrients, and soil acidity. Such collaborations have the potential to provide scientists with a more in-depth understanding of long-term agroecosystem effects on soil properties ¿ and, in turn ¿ how changes in soil properties impact the broader environment.

Technical Abstract: Archived soil samples are an important resource for quantifying changes in soil attributes over decadal time scales. Herein, we describe a soil archive at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL) near Mandan, ND. Over 4500 samples are included in the NGPRL soil archive, ranging in age from 54 to 90 yr. Samples emanated from both grazing and cropping studies, with the former being conducted near Mandan, and the latter as a part of an evaluation of soil carbon and nitrogen change at multiple locations throughout the Great Plains. Most samples are associated with soil depths above 30.5 cm, although 10 locations from the Great Plains evaluation possess archived soils below 1 m for native vegetation treatments. Collaborative research opportunities using the NGPRL soil archive abound, and may include characterizations of soil organic matter fractions, micronutrients, and soil acidity changes.