SRUC Tulloch Organic Rotations

Objective

Ley arable crop rotations to investigate the long-term productivity of legume based systems.

Description

Two six-years organic rotations compared: 1. 50% ley, three year grass and clover followed by spring oats, then swedes then spring oats under-sown back in to grass. 2. 67% ley, four years of grass and clover followed by spring oats, then by spring oats under-sown back in to grass. Sheep grazing grass and under-sown oats, sheep with-held on one rotation from 2007. Certified organic systems by Soil Association Standards. The rotations are managed organically without any inputs from soluble fertilisers. A stocked rotation represents a typical rotation for the North East of Scotland with sheep grazing grass/white clover leys in the ley phase. The stockless rotation investigates the feasibility of stockless organic farming in the region. The stockless rotation does not have grazing livestock and does not use imported livestock manure. Originally (from 1991) the trial compared two stocked ley/arable rotations comprising Tulloch 2: 50 % ley rotation (3 years of grass/white clover followed by spring oats, swedes and undersown spring oats) and Tulloch 1: 67% ley rotation (4 years of grass/white clover followed by spring oats, and undersown spring oats). This is the oldest organically managed crop rotation trial in Europe that includes grazing livestock, as many “grazed” trials simply simulate grazing using a cut and mulch approach. In 2007 the Tulloch 1 rotation was changed to include two stockless rotations (grass/red clover, potatoes or spring wheat followed by spring wheat or potatoes, spring beans, spring barley, and finally spring oats. All cereals and beans are undersown with white clover, with the exception of oats which in that case are undersown with a red clover / ryegrass mixture). In 2007, the Tulloch 2 rotation was also split so that it included two stocked rotations, with either spring oats (as per the original rotation) or spring barley after the grass-clover ley. All other crops in the stocked rotation remained in the same sequence as they had since 1991. All plots were limed in 2007 to raise the soil pH to just above pH 6.0. A range of data is available from the trials including yield, as well as crop quality data and soil analysis data, with annual standard soil sampling taking place to a depth of 15cm in late winter (pre-ploughing) every year, with a number of soil chemical properties analysed, including plant available P, K and Mg, soil pH and soil organic matter (Loss on Ignition). A range of other crop biomass and quality as well as soil related data (including soil N at different depths) is available for research purposes and collaboration and requests should be directed towards staff working on the project.

Data Access Statement

Available online with registration

Data Access Notes

For access rights registration with credentials required.

Data license

Don't know

Data URL

https://sruc.herokuapp.com/

Data policy

Don't know

Organization

SRUC Craibstone, Aberdeen

 https://www.sruc.ac.uk/courses-training/campuses/sruc-craibstone-aberdeen/

People

Christine Watson

SRUC Craibstone

 christine.watson@sruc.ac.uk

Robin Walker

SRUC Craibstone

 robin.walker@sruc.ac.uk

Kairsty Topp

SRUC Craibstone

 kairsty.topp@sruc.ac.uk

Related publications

• Celebrating 100 years of Agricultural Experimentation at Craibstone (video presentation) Nov 2021
  https://vimeo.com/644875224/9316a33145 [In English]
• Tulloch Organic Rotation Background nformation
  https://sruc.herokuapp.com/#rotational_trial [In English]
• Publication list relating to the trial
  https://sruc.herokuapp.com/#rotational_trial [In English]
• Conference papers
  https://sruc.herokuapp.com/#conference [In English]