Dataset Name:  Data from: Pore-Size and Water Activity Effects on Survival of Rhizobium tropici in Biochar Inoculant Carriers
Dataset citation: Vanek SJ, Thies J, Wang B, Hanley K, Lehmann J. (2016). Data from: Pore-Size and Water Activity Effects on Survival of Rhizobium tropici in Biochar Inoculant Carriers. (Dataset). eCommons Digital Repository at Cornell University. Retrieved from  https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/3463 

When using this dataset, please also cite: Vanek SJ, Thies J, Wang B, Hanley K, Lehmann J (2016) Pore-Size and Water Activity Effects on Survival of Rhizobium tropici in Biochar Inoculant Carriers. J Microb Biochem Technol 8: 296-306. doi: 10.4172/1948-5948.1000300

This dataset is made available under a CC-BY 4.0. The data is available for re-use, but you must give the original authors appropriate credit and indicate if any changes were made to the dataset. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 

Two Files:
biochar_inoc_storage_trial.csv:  comma-separated value file with dataset characterizing biochars (pyrolyzed plant biomass) used as inoculant carriers in storage experiments, with chemical and physical characteristics of the different biochars and the abundance of Rhizobium tropici bacteria (colony-forming units per gram, dry basis) at one month, three months, and six months of storage.
biochar_inoc_drying_trial.csv: comma-separated value file with dataset on unmodified and clay-amended biochars with added montmorillonite clay, used in a drydown trial with drying over ten days (240 h) and abundance (survival) of Rhizobium tropici bacteria (colony-forming units per gram, dry basis) at six time points (1 h, 4.5 h, 8h, 30 h, 80 h, 240 h).  

Contact information:
Data collection:  Steven J. Vanek (corresponding author): sjv2@cornell.edu, sjvanek@yahoo.com; Kelly Hanley (technician and co-author, Cornell University): klh54@cornell.edu; Johannes Lehmann (principal investigator and professor, Cornell University): cl273@cornell.edu.

Date of data collection:  December 28, 2012 to October 15, 2013
Location of data collection:  Bradfield Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Date data file created:  June 17, 2016
Keywords: (from published study): Rhizobium; Biochar; Inoculant carriers; Rhizobium tropici; Legumes; Phaseolus vulgaris; Microbial habitat.

Methodology:  see Vanek et al. 2016, cited above, for methods used to produce the data.

Missing data: missing data is indicated by a blank in the data file.  Data for pore-size of peat is not reported here and is blank.  Data for bacterial abundance in two of the storage experiments was not taken after one month and the three-month and six-month data are left blank.

Data description:   description of data columns in each file.  Format for each numbered entry referring to a column below is: Name of column in data table (data variable): variable type and units; variable description

Columns in the biochar_inoc_storage_trial.csv file:

1. Feedstock: categorical; the plant feedstock used to make the biochar, or peat, or sugar cane press mud from sugar production.  Peat and press mud are not biochar materials but are controls in the experiment.
2. Experiment: categorical; to which of three identically designed out experiments the treatment belonged.
3. Block: categorical, repetition within the experiments
4. Fresh/Ext/Clay addition: categorical; type of biochar conditioning versus other materials: fresh (only pH adjusted), added clay and type, or washed with acetone and 1% HCl
5. Mean Pore diameter_um_PressPlate: continuous, microns; Mean pore diameter of material, considering macropores between 0.3 and 30 micron diameter, measured using a pressure plate apparatus and moisture release from different pore diameters under suction.
6. Mean Pore diameter_um_SEM: continuous, microns; Mean pore diameter of material, considering macropores between 0.3 and 30 micron diameter, measured using analysis of scanning electron micrographs of materials.
7. Micropores<0.3um_volum: continuous, proportion; Volumetric proportion of total porosity occupied by pores <0.3 micron diameter, as estimated by moisture remaining at 10 bar pressure.
8. SolidVol%: continuous, proportion; Proportion solid material (versus porosity) in bulk material, measured using pressure plate and bulk density of tapped powder.
9. EC_bef_trial: continuous, µS/cm; Electrical Conductivity of material measured in a 1:5 w:v suspension in water
10. ASTM%Volatiles: continuous, proportion; ASTM volatile matter from proximate analysis, w:w proportion
11. ASTM% Ash: continuous, proportion; ASTM volatile matter from proximate analysis, w:w proportion
12. VolatAshFree_mg_g: continuous, mg g-1; ASTM volatile matter expressed as a proportion of the ash-free mass, w:w proportion
13. Total ICP Minls mg_g: continuous, mg g-1; Total minerals in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
14. Ca ICP mg_g: continuous, mg g-1; Total calcium in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
15. Mg ICP mg_g: continuous, mg g-1; Total magnesium in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
16. K ICP mg_g: continuous, mg g-1; Total potassium in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
17. Na ICP mg_g: continuous, mg g-1; Total sodium in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
18. AL  ICP mg_g 2: continuous, mg g-1; Total aluminum in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
19. Fe ICP mg_g 3: continuous, mg g-1; Total iron in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
20. S ICP mg_g	: continuous, mg g-1; Total sulfur in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
21. P ICP Mg_g: continuous, mg g-1; Total phosphorus in sample as measured by dry ashing, nitric acid digestion, and ICP analysis (see methods)
22. Mineral_PCAFActor1_K_Mg_Ca_P: continuous, unitless factor; Unitless rotated factor from factor analysis with loadings for Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, and Phosphorus concentration from above mineral contents
23. Mineral_PCAFActor2_Fe_Al_Na: continuous, unitless factor; Unitless rotated factor from factor analysis with loadings for Aluminum, Iron, and Sodium concentration from above mineral contents
24. OverallPCA_Fact1_presize_K_Mg_neg<0.3um: continuous, unitless factor; Unitless rotated factor from factor analysis with loadings for Mineral content factor one (above), mean pore diameter from pressure plate, and pore fraction of pores < 0.3 um diameter (from above variables)
25. OverallPCA_Fact2_Volatiles_Fe_Al: continuous, unitless factor; Unitless rotated factor from factor analysis with loadings for Ash-free volatile content and mineral content factor two (Fe, Al, Na)
26. BactAbund_OneMonth: continuous, Colony-forming units per g dry basis (CFU g-1); Abundance of R. tropici in carriers at one month incubation time at 27 C
27. BactAbund_ThreeMonth: continuous, Colony-forming units per g dry basis (CFU g-1); Abundance of R. tropici in carriers at three months incubation time at 27 C
28. BactAbund_SixMonth; continuous, Colony-forming units per g dry basis (CFU g-1); Abundance of R. tropici in carriers at six months incubation time at 27 C.

Columns in the biochar_inoc_drying_trial.csv file:

1. Biochar or peat treatment type: categorical; full treatment name:  unmodified biochar, biochar with montmorillonite clay addition, or peat control.
2. Letter Sequence and hours drying: categorical; categorical variable describing the hours of drying in sequence, for repeated measures analysis.
3. hours_drying_as_numeric: continuous (hours). Hours of drying in trial as a numeric variable
4. Block: categorical; blocks one or two of the experiment
5. FeedstockAsFactor: categorical	Categories of carriers bagasse, pine, mixed maple and grapevine biochars, and peat control 
6. Clay additionAsFactor: categorical	Categories of clay addition, no addition versus +Montmorillonite clay
7. R_Tropici_abundance: continuous, Colony-forming units per g dry basis (CFU g-1)	Abundance of R. Tropici at the hours of drying in the trial
8. Grav_moisture: continuous, proportion (g g-1); gravimetric moisture of carriers (g g-1)
9. Grav_moisture_as_pct_of_initial: continuous, proportion (g g-1); gravimetric moisture as a percentage of the initial moisture at the start of the drying trial
10. Bulk_Density_at_moisture: continuous, (g mL-1); estimated bulk density using measurements and modeling of bulk density dependence on gravimetric moisture (see methods and data in supplement)
11. Volum_moisture: continuous, proportion (mL mL-1); moisture of carriers expressed as v:v, (mL mL-1)
12. Aw_Water_Activity: continuous, proportion; Water activity (Aw), unitless
13. Estim_PoreSize_Filled_Water: continuous (µm); Estimated pore-size filled with water at the measured gravimetric moisture (µm)
14. Mean_PoreDiam_PressPlate: continuous (µm); Mean pore diameter of carriers from pressure plate measurements (µm), see methods.
15. pores<0.3 um_PctOfVolumetric: continuous, proportion (mL mL-1); Volumetric proportion of total porosity occupied by pores <0.3 micron diameter, as estimated by moisture remaining at 10 bar pressure.