scholarly journals The Rothamsted long-term experiments: Are they still relevant?

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Poulton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Atmospheric Pollution ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Land Management Practice ◽  
Long Term Experiments

Maintaining soil fertility and sustaining or increasing crop yield is of worldwide importance. Many factors impact upon the complex biological, chemical and physical processes which govern soil fertility. Changes in fertility caused by acidification, declining levels of organic matter, or P and K status may take many years to appear. These properties can in turn be affected by external influences such as atmospheric pollution, global change, or changes in land management practice. Long-term experiments provide the best practical means of studying changes in soil properties and processes and providing information for farmers, scientists and policy makers. This paper shows how the experiments run at Rothamsted in southeast England continue to provide data which are highly relevant to today's agriculture and wider environmental concerns. Examples are given of how crop yield is affected by soil organic matter, by pests and disease and by P nutrition. The effect of atmospheric pollution on soil acidity and the mobilization of heavy metals are also examined. The need for making better use of existing long-term experiments is stressed. Key words: Soil fertility, sustainability, long-term experiments, global change

scholarly journals Management and modification procedures for long-term field experiments

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Poulton
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Modern Agriculture ◽  
Long Term Experiments ◽  
Term Field

Long-term experiments like those at Rothamsted in southeast England offer the best practical means of studying the effects of land management or global change on soil fertility, sustainability of yield or wider environmental issues. For the data from such experiments to be of use, farmers, scientists and policy makers must be certain of their validity. This is best assured by the rigorous management of the experiment, by ensuring that any changes are carefully considered and that all operations are well-documented. A steady flow of well-interpreted, published data is also essential. This paper gives examples of how the long-term field experiments at Rothamsted have been managed and how modifications have been made to ensure their relevance to modern agriculture. Key words: Rothamsted, sustainability, long-term experiments, global change

The importance of long-term trials in understanding sustainable farming systems: the Rothamsted experience

1995 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 825 ◽  
Author(s):  
PR Poulton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Sustainable Farming ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Long Term Experiments

This paper gives examples of how long-term experiments can be used t o improve our understanding of sustainable farming systems. Rothamsted conducts more than 20 long-term (>20 years) experiments in south-eastern England; several were started in the middle of the last century. Some have continued with minor changes, others have been modified considerably t o ensure their continuation and relevance. Examples are given of the effect on soils and crop yields of organic matter, the availability of P, and acidification. The use of archived material in addressing problems not even considered when the experiments began is also discussed. Long-term experiments are essential in determining the factors affecting soil fertility and sustainable production. In many cases, effects may only be observed or interactions become apparent over an extended time. Full use should be made of existing experiments and data; in particular, those on different soil types and under different climatic conditions should be compared so that the information is valuable to farmers, advisers, legislators, and other scientists in both the local and wider community.

scholarly journals Crop Yield and Soil Fertility Status of Long-Term Rice-Rice-Wheat Cropping Systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-50
Author(s):  
Nabin Rawal ◽  
Rajan Ghimire ◽  
Devraj Chalise
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Oryza Sativa L ◽  
Farmyard Manure ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Available Phosphorus

Balanced nutrient supply is important for the sustainable crop production. We evaluated the effects of nutrient management practices on soil properties and crop yields in rice (Oryza sativa L.) - rice - wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) system in a long-term experiment established at National Wheat Research Program (NWRP), Bhairahawa, Nepal. The experiment was designed as a randomized complete block experiment with nine treatments and three replications. Treatments were applied as: T1- no nutrients added, T2- N added; T3- N and P added; T4- N and K added; T5- NPK added at recommended rate for all crops. Similarly, T6- only N added in rice and NPK in wheat at recommended rate; T7- half N; T8- half NP of recommended rate for both crops; and T9- farmyard manure (FYM) @10 Mg ha-1 for all crops in rotation. Results of the study revealed that rice and wheat yields were significantly greater under FYM than all other treatments. Treatments that did not receive P (T2, T3, T7, T8) and K (T2, T4) had considerably low wheat yield than treatments that received NPK (T5) and FYM (T9). The FYM lowered soil pH and improved soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), available phosphorus (P), and exchangeable potassium (K) contents than other treatments. Management practices that ensure nutrient supply can increase crop yield and improve soil fertility status.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 5(1): 42-50

EuroSOMNET—a database for long-term experiments on soil organic matter in Europe

2002 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Franko ◽  
Guido Schramm ◽  
Viktoria Rodionova ◽  
Martin Körschens ◽  
Pete Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Long Term Experiments
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