Woburn Ley Arable

Local identifier: W/RN/3
Years operational: 1938—
Objective: Effects of continuous arable and ley-arable cropping on crop production, soil organic matter dynamics and fertility in a sandy loam.
Description: Started in 1938 to compare the effects of rotations with or without grass or grass-clover leys on the yield of two arable test crops. It is now an important resource for investigation of long-term changes in SOM due to different cropping systems. Five year rotation of three years in arable crops or leys (short-term grassland) followed by two years of arable test crops. Total of 40 pairs of plots divided into 5 blocks, phased-in over a five-year period, so the each year of the rotation is present each year.
Data Access Statement: Available to any researcher on request
Data Access Notes: Contact the e-RA curators: era@rothamsted.ac.uk
Data license: CC BY
Data policy: Yes (not online)
Organizations: Rothamsted Research
research organisation
Woburn Experimental Farm
experimental research station
People: Dr Andrew Gregory
principal investigator
Rothamsted Research
Protecting Crops and the Environment

Dr Margaret Glendining
data manager
Rothamsted Research
Intelligent Data Ecosystems
res.e-ra@rothamsted.ac.uk

Site: Stackyard

Type

research station field

Local code

W/RN/3

Location

Woburn

Bedfordshire

United Kingdom

Geographic location

51.99906, -0.61673

+−

Maps

Satellite

Elevation

99 Metres

Slope

2°

Visits permitted?

Yes

Visiting arrangements

Contact Dr Andrew Gregory

History

The experiment started in 1938 on a site that had grown arable crops since at least 1876 and had 0.98% SOC in the topsoil.

Management

Conventional management, ploughed. There is no irrigation.

Soil description

Sandy loam with 11-16% clay, Cambric Arenosol (FAO, 1990).

Climatic type

temperate oceanic climate

Climate properties

Variable	Time period	Value (range)	Units
Annual total precipitation	1981 – 2010	652 (460.5 – 870.4)	mm

Design period: Period 1 (1938—1972)

Design Type

Split-plot

Description

40 pairs of main plots in 5 blocks with four types of rotation. Each rotation had three years of 'treatment' crops followed by two years of arable 'test' crops. The rotations were: 3-year grass grass/clover ley (L), a 3-year lucerne (alfalfa) ley (Lu), a 3-year arable rotation which included a 1-yr hay crop (Ah) and a 3-year arable rotation which included root crops (Ar). The effect of these four 'treatments' was compared on the yield of two arable 'test' crops. The test crops were potatoes followed by spring barley. Sugar beet replaced potatoes in 1956. Sainfoin replaced lucerne in 1965.

Design description

Number of plots

Number of subplots

Number of replicates

Number of harvests per year

Crops

Crop	Years grown
grass clover leys
grass leys
potatoes
sugar beet
spring barley
winter wheat
winter rye
kales
one-year hay
carrots
oats
beans
alfalfa
sainfoin

Crop Rotations

Ar arable with roots 1938—1972

1
potatoes
Treatment crop 1
2
winter wheat
Treatment crop 2: replaced by winter rye 1949
3
sugar beet
Treatment crop 3: (kale 1940-45) replaced by carrots 1956
4
potatoes
Test crop 1: replaced by sugar beet 1956-67, barley 1968-1970, potatoes 1971-75
5
spring barley
Test crop 2: replaced by winter wheat 1972

Ah arable with hay 1938—1972

1
potatoes
Treatment crop 1
2
winter wheat
Treatment crop 2: replaced by winter rye from 1949
3
one-year hay
Treatment crop 3
4
potatoes
Test crop 1; replaced by sugar beet 1956-67, barley 1968-1970, potatoes 1971-75
5
spring barley
Test crop 2: replaced by winter wheat from 1972

L grass/cover ley 1938—1972

1
grass clover leys
Treatment crop year 1: grazed by sheep until1968 then cut
2
grass clover leys
Treatment crop year 2: grazed by sheep until1968 then cut
3
grass clover leys
Treatment crop year 2: grazed by sheep until1968 then cut
4
potatoes
Test crop 1: replaced by sugar beet 1956-67, barley 1968-1970, potatoes 1971-75
5
spring barley
Test crop 2: replaced by winter wheat from 1972

Lu legume ley 1938—1972

1
alfalfa
Treatment crop year 1; sainfoin replaced lucerne from 1964
2
alfalfa
Treatment crop year 2; sainfoin replaced lucerne from 1964
3
alfalfa
Treatment crop year 3; sainfoin replaced lucerne from 1964
4
potatoes
Test crop 1: replaced by sugar beet 1956-67, barley 1968-1970, potatoes 1971-75
5
spring barley
Test crop 2: replaced by winter wheat from 1972

Factor

Factor name: Factor levels

farmyard manure exposure The main plots are in pairs, one of each pair received FYM (farmyard manure) applied every fifth year, to the first test crop, 1941-1967.

Measurements

Variable	Material	Units	Frequency	Scale	Comment
test crop yield	All crops	t/ha	annual		Test crop yields - potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beet.
soil organic carbon	Soil	%	every five years		The soil in each block was sampled regularly every five years from 1955, to coincide with the end of the third treatment year

Design period: Period 2 (1973—2007)

Design Type

Split split plot

Description

Major changes made to the experiment in 1973-78. Grazed leys were replaced with cut grass or grass/clover leys. The Alternating rotations were stopped and two cycles of 8-year leys followed by the 2-yr test crops were introduced, the first cycle started in 1973, the second in 1978.

Design description

40 pairs of main plots in 5 blocks, phased in over a 5 year period. Each block had four different three-year rotations, followed by two arable test crops: in four plots in each block the rotation was repeated every five years (continuous) and in four plots in each block the rotations alternated every five years, on a 20-year cycle of all four arable and ley-arable rotations. The main plots are in pairs, one of each pair received FYM (farmyard manure) applied every fifth year, to the first test crop, 1941-1967 (the split plots). The treatments were: AB (all arable rotation); AF (arable rotation with roots or fallow); LN3 (3-year grass ley with fertilizer N); LC3 (3-year legume or grass/clover ley). The alternating rotations were replaced by eight-year grass or grass/clover leys in the mid-1970s: LN8 (8-year grass leys with fertilizer N, followed by two arable test crops); LC8 (8-year grass/clover leys, followed by two arable test crops). The rotations are phased in over a five-year period in the five different blocks, so that each year of the five-year rotation is present each year. The eight-year leys were also phased in, the first cycle starting 1973-77, the second cycle 1978-82. The test crops had four N treatments (split-split plots).

Number of plots

Number of subplots

Number of replicates

Number of harvests per year

Crops

Crop	Years grown
wheat
spring barley
winter rye
potatoes
fallow
oats
winter beans
carrots
maize
grass clover leys
grass leys
red clover

Crop Rotations

AB/ABe (all arable rotation) 1973—2007

1
spring barley
Treatment crop 1 (potatoes 1973-76); replaced by rye 1998
2
spring barley
Treatment crop 2; replaced by forage maize 1999
3
oats
Treatment crop 3 (one year hay 1973); replaced by beans 1981
4
wheat
Test crop 1
5
spring barley
Test crop 2; replaced by rye 1992

AF/AM (all arable rotation with fallow) 1973—2007

1
fallow
Treatment crop 1 (potatoes 1973-76); replaced by rye 1998
2
fallow
Treatment crop 2; replaced by winter beans 1999
3
oats
Treatment crop 3 (spring barley 1973); replaced by beans 1981
4
wheat
Test crop 1
5
spring barley
Test crop 2; replaced by rye 1992

Ln3 1973—2007

1
grass leys
Treatment crop 1: grass ley with fertilizer N
2
grass leys
Treatment crop 2: grass ley with fertilizer N
3
grass leys
Treatment crop 3; grass ley with fertilizer N
4
wheat
Test crop 1
5
spring barley
Test crop 2; replaced by rye 1992

Lc3 1973—2007

1
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 1
2
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 2
3
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 3
4
wheat
Test crop 1
5
spring barley
Test crop 2: replaced by rye 1992

Lln8 1973—2007

1
grass leys
Treatment crop 1; grass ley with fertilizer N
2
grass leys
Treatment crop 2: grass ley with fertilizer N
3
grass leys
Treatment crop 3: grass ley with fertilizer N
4
grass leys
Treatment crop 4: grass ley with fertilizer N
5
grass leys
Treatment crop 5: grass ley with fertilizer N
6
grass leys
Treatment crop 6: grass ley with fertilizer N
7
grass leys
Treatment crop 7: grass ley with fertilizer N
8
grass leys
Treatment crop 8: grass ley with fertilizer N
9
wheat
Test crop 1
10
spring barley
Test crop 2: replaced by rye 1992

Llc8 1973—2007

1
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 1
2
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 2
3
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 3
4
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 4
5
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 5
6
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 6
7
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 7
8
grass clover leys
Treatment crop 8
9
wheat
Test crop 1
10
spring barley
Test crop 2: : replaced by rye 1992

Factors

Factor name: Factor levels

nitrogen fertilizer exposure 4 levels of N fertilizer applied to wheat and barley/rye test crops. Split-spilt plots
potassium fertilizer exposure Corrective K applications to 1st test wheat. 4 levels.
nitrogen fertilizer exposure Split nitrogen applications.
residue of farmyard manure exposure Farmyard manure residue, last applied 1966. Split-plots.

Measurements

Variable	Material	Units	Frequency	Comment
Grain yield	wheat	t/ha	annually	Grain yields for test crops (wheat and spring barley)
soil organic carbon	Soil	%
total soil nitrogen	Soil	%

Design period: Period 3 (2008—)

Design Type

Split split plot

Description

Major changes to the experiment in 2006-2007. The 8-year leys were ended once both cycles had completed three 10-year rotations. In 2008 plots previously in the 1st cycle of 8-year leys started to follow the same rotations as the two continuous arable rotation, whilst those in the second cycle went into a 3-year grass +N or 3-year grass/clover rotation, i.e. the same four rotations as the 'continuous' plots but with more SOM.

Design description

40 main plots, divided over five blocks. Half the plots have been in four continuous five-year arable or ley-arable rotations since 1938: three years of treatment crops followed by two arable test crops. The other 20 plots were in alternating rotations from 1938 to the mid-1970s: a 20-year cycle of all four arable and ley-arable rotations. These were replaced by eight-year grass or grass/clover leys from the mid-1970s until 2007. From 2008 all plots were in five-year rotations of three years of treatment crops and two years of test crops.: AO (continuous arable with oats); ABe (continuous arable with beans); Ln3 (three-year grass leys with nitrogen); Lc3 (three-year grass/clover leys). In 2021 winter beans (BE) were replaced with winter barley (WB), and all arable rotations followed the same rotation, R, WB, O, W and R. Rotation ABe became AO in 2021, so there are now one arable rotation and two ley/arable rotations, with different histories.

Number of plots

Number of subplots

Number of replicates

Number of harvests per year

Crops

Crop	Years grown
winter wheat
winter rye
beans
winter oats
winter barley
grass leys
grass clover leys

Crop Rotations

(ABe) ABe 2008—2020

1
winter rye
1st treatment crop
2
winter oats
2nd treatment crop; replaced by winter barley (WB) from 2021
3
beans
3rd treatment crop; replaced by oats from 2021
4
winter wheat
1st test crop
5
winter rye
2nd test crop

(AM) AO 2008—2020

1
winter rye
1st treatment crop
2
beans
2nd treatment crop; replaced by winter barley (WB) from 2021
3
winter oats
3rd treatment crop
4
winter wheat
1st test crop
5
winter rye
2nd test crop

Ln3 2008—

1
grass clover leys
1st treatment crop
2
grass clover leys
2nd treatment crop
3
grass clover leys
3rd treatment crop
4
winter wheat
1st test crop
5
winter rye
2nd test crop

Lc3 2008—

1
grass clover leys
1st treatment crop
2
grass clover leys
2nd treatment crop
3
grass clover leys
3rd treatment crop
4
winter wheat
1st test crop
5
winter rye
2nd test crop

AO 2021—

1
winter rye
1st treatment crop
2
winter barley
2nd treatment crop
3
winter oats
3rd treatment crop
4
winter wheat
1st test crop
5
winter rye
2nd test crop

Factors

Factor name: Factor levels

nitrogen fertilizer exposure 4 rates of N fertilizer applied to test crops Split-spilt plots
Residue farmyard manure exposure, Farmyard manure residues, last applied in 1960s, split plots. Used to test split N 2001-2005.

Measurements

Variable	Material	Units	Frequency	Comment
grain yield trait	winter wheat	t/ha	annually	grain yield for test crops (winter wheat and winter rye)
soil organic carbon	Soil	%
total soil nitrogen	Soil	%

Related publications

Changes in soil organic matter over 70 years in continuous arable and ley-arable rotations on a sandy loam soil in England
https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12415 [In English]