Minimum dataset and metadata guidelines for soil-test correlation and calibration research

Authors: SLATON, NATHAN - University Of Arkansas; LYONS, SARAH - North Carolina State University; OSMON, DEANNA - North Carolina State University; BROUDER, SYLVIE - Purdue University; CULMAN, STEVE - The Ohio State University; GATIBONI, LUCIANO - North Carolina State University; HOBEN, JOHN - East Carolina University; Kleinman, Peter; MCGRATH, JOSH - University Of Kentucky; MILLER, ROB - Colorado State University; PEARCE, AUSTIN - North Carolina State University; SHOBER, AMY - University Of Delaware; SPARGO, JOHN - Pennsylvania State University; VOLENEC, JEFF - Purdue University

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/14/2021
Publication Date: 11/2/2021
Citation: Slaton, N.A., Lyons, S.E., Osmon, D.L., Brouder, S.M., Culman, S., Gatiboni, L.C., Hoben, J., Kleinman, P.J., Mcgrath, J.M., Miller, R., Pearce, A., Shober, A., Spargo, J., Volenec, J.J. 2021. Minimum dataset and metadata guidelines for soil-test correlation and calibration research. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 86:19-33. http://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20338.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20338

Interpretive Summary: Soil fertility underpins modern fertilizer decisions, a pilar of modern agricultural production and profitability. In support of transparent, science based fertilzier recommendations, soil fertility scientists from across the United States evaluated and selected the core set of data required to carry out soil fertility studies. This "minimum data set" serves as a a fundamental reference point for stakeholders, programs and researchers seeking to advance nutrient management for defensible agronomic and environmental outcomes.

Technical Abstract: Soil-test correlation and calibration data are essential to modern agriculture, and their continued relevance is underscored by the expansion of precision farming and the persistence of sustainable soil management priorities. In support of transparent, science-based fertilizer recommendations, we seek to establish a core set of required and recommended information for soil-test correlation and calibration studies, a minimum dataset, building on previous efforts. The Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST) project team and collaborators are developing a national database that will support a soil-test-based nutrient management decision aid tool. The FRST team includes over 80 scientists from 37 land-grant universities, two state universities, one private university, three federal agencies (ARS, NRCS, and Farm Service Agency), two private not-for-profit organizations, and one State Department of Agriculture. The minimum dataset committee developed and vetted a robust set of factors for minimum dataset consideration that includes information on soil sample collection and processing, soil chemical and physical properties, experimental design and statistical analyses, and metadata about the trial, production system, and field management. The minimum dataset provides guidelines for essential information to meet the primary objective of knowledge synthesis, including meta-analysis and systemic reviews, but permits researchers the flexibility to satisfy local, state, and regional objectives. Ultimately, this consensus-driven effort seeks to establish a standard that ensures the maximum utility and impact of modern correlation and calibration studies for developing crop nutrition recommendations that improve productivity and profitability for the crop producer, while reducing environmental impacts of nutrient losses.