Jul 29, 2025

USDA ARS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Common Experiment V.2

Journal of Environmental Quality
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.14egn9m5ql5d/v2
USDA ARS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Common Experiment
  • 1USDA Agricultural Research Service, Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, Columbia, MO;
  • 2USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, ND;
  • 3Michigan State University KBS LTAR
Lori J. Abendroth
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DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.14egn9m5ql5d/v2
External link: https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.70027
Collection Citation: Lori Abendroth, Mark A. Liebig, G Philip Robertson 2025. USDA ARS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Common Experiment. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.14egn9m5ql5d/v2Version created by Lori J. Abendroth
Manuscript citation:
Nicole E. Kaplan, Gerardo Armendariz, Shefali Azad, Bryan R. Carlson, William A. White, Lori J. Abendroth, Alisa W. Coffin, Vanessa S. Gordon, Jude E. Maul, William Osterholz, Jonathan Sears (2025) Five foundational tools for managing metadata from the USDA Long‐Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network.Journal of Environmental Quality doi: 10.1002/jeq2.70027
License: This is an open access  collection  distributed under the terms of the  Creative Commons Attribution License,  which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this collection and it's working
Created: July 29, 2025
Last Modified: July 29, 2025
Collection  Integer ID: 223630
Keywords: Long-Term Agroecosystem Research, LTAR, USDA LTAR, Common Experiment, cropland, grazing land, integrated, ltar, term agroecosystem research, usda ars long, standardized protocols for the biophysical metric, common experiment, biophysical metric, plant tissue usda ltar common experiment measurement, usda ltar common experiment measurement, aboveground net herbaceous plant production, organic matter digestibility, eddy covariance method, concentration of nutrient
Funders Acknowledgements:
United States Department of Agriculture
Grant ID: -
Abstract
A component of the USDA ARS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network is a Common Experiment standardized across all sites. This collection contains all standardized protocols for the biophysical metrics collected in the Common Experiment.

This collection is version 2 and includes 38 protocols. It includes all protocols from version 1 with three additional protocols published since. These new protocols are:
  • Aboveground net herbaceous plant production in grazinglands
  • USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Concentration of nutrients and in vitro organic matter digestibility in plant tissue
  • USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Surface fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy with the Eddy Covariance method
Before start
We recommend starting with this protocol for overview and context:

Lori J. Abendroth, Mark A. Liebig, G Philip Robertson 2024. USDA LTAR Cropland Common Experiment: Standardized primary metric protocols. protocols.io
https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.261ge59pyg47/v1
Files
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Cropland Common Experiment: Standardized primary metric protocols
Name
USDA LTAR Cropland Common Experiment: Standardized primary metric protocols
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Aboveground biomass
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Aboveground biomass
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Name
Aboveground net herbaceous plant production in grazinglands
Version 1
Created by
Image of David Augustine, USDA-ARS
David AugustineUSDA-ARS
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Concentration of carbon and nitrogen in aboveground biomass
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Concentration of carbon and nitrogen in aboveground biomass
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Concentration of phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur in aboveground biomass
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Concentration of phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur in aboveground biomass
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Obtaining quality metrics in forage aboveground biomass
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Obtaining quality metrics in forage aboveground biomass
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Concentration of nutrients and in vitro organic matter digestibility in plant tissue
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Concentration of nutrients and in vitro organic matter digestibility in plant tissue
Version 1
Created by
Image of Archbold-UF Data Manager, Archbold Biological Station
Archbold-UF Data ManagerArchbold Biological Station
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Collection of grain yield data using a yield monitor
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Collection of grain yield data using a yield monitor
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Post-processing of spatial grain yield data
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Post-processing of spatial grain yield data
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: PhenoCam for Green Chromatic Coordinate
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: PhenoCam for Green Chromatic Coordinate
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Soil organic carbon stocks and change
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Soil organic carbon stocks and change
Version 1
Created by
Image of SCarolina Córdova, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
SCarolina CórdovaUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Sediment flux
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Sediment flux
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment Measurement: Chamber-based fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) from soil
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment Measurement: Chamber-based fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) from soil
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Surface fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy with the Eddy Covariance method
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Surface fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy with the Eddy Covariance method
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Rainfall
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Rainfall
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Irrigation water applied
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Irrigation water applied
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Snow
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Snow
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Infiltration and percolation
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Infiltration and percolation
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Channelized surface flow discharge
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Channelized surface flow discharge
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Overland flow
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Overland flow
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Discharge from artificial subsurface drains
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Discharge from artificial subsurface drains
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Depth to water table
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Depth to water table
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Soil water content
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Soil water content
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Saturated hydraulic conductivity
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Saturated hydraulic conductivity
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Soil water potential and matric potential
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Soil water potential and matric potential
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Best practices for collection, handling, and analyses of water quantity measurements
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Best practices for collection, handling, and analyses of water quantity measurements
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Dissolved nitrate (NO3-) concentration
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Dissolved nitrate (NO3-) concentration
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Dissolved ammonia (NH3) concentration
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Dissolved ammonia (NH3) concentration
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Total nitrogen (TN) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) concentration
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Total nitrogen (TN) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) concentration
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Total phosphorus (TP) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) concentration
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Total phosphorus (TP) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) concentration
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Total suspended solids (TSS)
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Total suspended solids (TSS)
Version 2
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Best practices for collection, handling, and analyses of water quality samples
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Best practices for collection, handling, and analyses of water quality samples
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Cropland plant diversity
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Cropland plant diversity
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Non-crop plant biodiversity
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Non-crop plant biodiversity
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Crop scouting for pests and diseases
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Crop scouting for pests and diseases
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Cereal crop mycotoxin concentration
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Cereal crop mycotoxin concentration
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Natural pest suppression
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Natural pest suppression
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Protocol
Icon representing the file USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Butterfly diversity and abundance
Name
USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Butterfly diversity and abundance
Version 1
Created by
Image of Lori J. Abendroth, USDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Lori J. AbendrothUSDA ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Acknowledgements
This research is a contribution from the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network. LTAR is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the United States Department of Agriculture or the Agricultural Research Service of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.