- Title
- Using agricultural metadata : a novel investigation of trends in sowing date in on-farm research trials using the online farm trials database
- Creator
- Walters, Judi; Light, Kate; Robinson, Nathan
- Date
- 2021
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/179130
- Identifier
- vital:15527
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.26903.2
- Identifier
- ISBN:2046-1402 (ISSN)
- Abstract
- Background: A growing ability to collect data, together with the development and adoption of the FAIR guiding principles, has increased the amount of data available in many disciplines. This has given rise to an urgent need for robust metadata. Within the Australian grains industry, data from thousands of on-farm research trials (Trial Projects) have been made available via the Online Farm Trials (OFT) website. OFT Trial Project metadata were developed as filters to refine front-end database searches, but could also be used as a dataset to investigate trends in metadata elements. Australian grains crops are being sown earlier, but whether on-farm research trials reflect this change is currently unknown. Methods: We investigated whether OFT Trial Project metadata could be used to detect trends in sowing dates of on-farm crop research trials across Australia, testing the hypothesis that research trials are being sown earlier in line with local farming practices. The investigation included 15 autumn-sown, winter crop species listed in the database, with trial records from 1993 to 2019. Results: Our analyses showed that (i) OFT Trial Project metadata can be used as a dataset to detect trends in sowing date; and (ii) cropping research trials are being sown earlier in Victoria and Western Australia, but no trend exists within the other states. Discussion/Conclusion: Our findings show that OFT Trial Project metadata can be used to detect trends in crop sowing date, suggesting that metadata could also be used to detect trends in other elements such as harvest date. Because OFT is a national database of research trials, further assessment of metadata may uncover important agronomic, cultural or economic trends within or across the Australian cropping regions. New information could then be used to lead practice change and increase productivity within the Australian grains industry. © 2021 Walters J et al.
- Publisher
- F1000 Research Ltd
- Relation
- F1000Research Vol. 9, no. (2021), p.1305-1305
- Rights
- All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
- Rights
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Rights
- Copyright © 2020 Walters J et al.
- Rights
- Open Access
- Subject
- 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology; 1103 Clinical Sciences; 1112 Oncology and Carcinogenesis; Barley; Canola; Crop; FAIR; Grains; Metadata; Sowing timing; Wheat
- Full Text
- Reviewed
- Funder
- Online Farm Trials is a collaboration between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) at Federation University Australia (FedUni)
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