Exhaustion Land
- Local identifier
- R/EX/4
- Years operational
- 1856—
- Objective
- To test the residual effects of mineral fertilizer and manures applied 1876-1901 and of additional phosphate applied since 1986, on the yield of spring barley (up to 1991) and winter wheat. A test of potassium was introduced in 2007. Soils now have a range of plant available P and K.
- Description
- The Exhaustion Land experiment has had several distinct phases since it started in 1856. Today, it is used to study the residual effects of fertilizers and manures applied from 1856-1901 and additional phosphate applied since 1986, on the yield of cereals. A test of potassium was introduced in 2007. Treatments have been managed so that the soils now have a wide range of plant available P and K.
- Farm operation data?
- Sample archive?
- Samples available?
- Data Access Statement
- Available to any researcher on request
- Data license
- CC BY
- Data URL
- http://www.era.rothamsted.ac.uk/Exhaustion
- Data policy
- Yes (not online)
- Organization
- Rothamsted Researchresearch organisation
- People
- Dr Andy Macdonaldprincipal investigatorRothamsted ResearchSustainable Agricultural SystemsDr Margaret Glendiningdata managerRothamsted ResearchComputational and Analytical Sciences
Site: Hoosfield
- Type
- research station field
- Location
- HarpendenHertfordshireUnited Kingdom
- Geographic location
- 51.812883, -0.375931
- Elevation
- 128 Metres
- Visits permitted?
- Yes
- Visiting arrangements
- By arrangement with Dr Any Macdonald
- History
- From 1852-1855, this site was the 'Lois Weedon' plots, an experiment that tested different methods of husbandry, with no fertilizer or manure. Winter wheat was grown. See Johnston & Poulton (1977) for more details.
- Soil type
- luvisol
- Soil description
- Chromic Luvisol. Silty clay loam topsoil over clay-with–flints (Avery & Catt, 1995). The soil contains a large number of flints and some rounded pebbles from the material derived from the Reading Beds. The soil is naturally acid and free draining. Below about 2m depth the soil becomes chalk. Soil pH: Since the 1950s, chalk (CaCO3) has been applied as necessary to maintain a minimum soil pH of 7.0. Like several other old arable fields at Rothamsted, Hoosfield was given large dressings of chalk in the early 19th century, when the practice was to dig out the underlying chalk and spread it on the arable land. Chalk was applied at up to 250 t/ha, and this increased topsoil pH in water (23cm) to between 7.0 and 8.0 (from Poulton et al, 2013).
- Soil properties
Variable Depth Value (range) Units Ref year Estimated? Baseline? sand content Metres 28 Percent clay content Metres 52 Percent clay content Metres 20 Percent
Design period: Phase I (1856—1901)
- Design Type
- Demonstration strip design
- Design description
- Four plots were established on the Exhaustion Land site in 1856, this was known as 'Smith's Wheat' experiment. Winter wheat was grown each year. In 1876 the four plots were divided and two more plots were added, from a strip of unmanured and unfertilized wheat on the north side of the experiment. This was known as the 'Potato experiment', and potatoes were grown every year from 1876-1901. From 1856 to 1901, the plots received annual applications of N, P, K or FYM. There were 10 plots from 1876 to 1901, each 0.067 ha (1/6th of an acre).
- Crops
Crop Years grown wheat 1856—1875 potatoes 1876—1901 - Factors
- phosphate fertilizer exposure Plot application: Whole plot
superphosphate (34 kgP/ha)
1876—1896Applied to crop: All cropsbasic slag (34 kgP/ha)
1897—1901Applied to crop: potatoes- potassium fertilizer exposure Plot application: Whole plot
(91 kgK/ha)
1859—1874Applied to crop: wheatChemical form: potassium sulphate(137 kgK/ha)
1876—1901Applied to crop: potatoesChemical form: potassium sulphate- farmyard manure exposure Plot application: Whole plot
farmyard manure (35 t/ha)
1876—1901Applied to crop: potatoes- nitrogen fertilizer exposure Plot application: Whole plot
(96 kgN/ha)
1856—1901Applied to crop: All cropsAs ammonium salts ammonium sulphate & ammonium chloride(96 kgN/ha)
1856—1901Applied to crop: All cropsChemical form: sodium nitrate- sodium nutrient exposure Plot application: Whole plot
(16 kgNa/ha)
1856—1901Applied to crop: All crops- magnesium nutrient exposure Plot application: Whole plot
(11 kgMg/ha)
1856—1901Applied to crop: All crops
- phosphate fertilizer exposure
- Factor combinations
- PKNaMg 1856—1901
phosphate fertilizer exposure: superphosphate
Applied to crop: All cropspotassium fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: All cropsmagnesium nutrient exposure: -
Applied to crop: All cropssodium nutrient exposure: -
Applied to crop: All crops- P 1876—1901
phosphate fertilizer exposure: superphosphate
Applied to crop: potatoes- NPKNaMg 1856—1901
nitrogen fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: All cropsphosphate fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: All cropspotassium fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: All cropssodium nutrient exposure: -
Applied to crop: All cropsmagnesium nutrient exposure: -
Applied to crop: All crops- N 1856—1901
nitrogen fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: All cropsnitrogen fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: potatoes- FYM (P) 1876—1882
farmyard manure exposure: -
Applied to crop: potatoesphosphate fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: potatoes- FYM (N*P) 1876—1882
farmyard manure exposure: -
Applied to crop: potatoesnitrogen fertilizer exposure: -
Last application in 1881Applied to crop: potatoesphosphate fertilizer exposure: -
Applied to crop: potatoes- FYM 1883—1901
farmyard manure exposure: -
- Nil 1856—1901
Design period: Phase II (1902—1939)
- Description
- Between 1902 and 1939 no fertilizers or manures were applied and, with a few exceptions, cereals (usually spring barley) were grown. The site was fallow in 1920. Yields were recorded in some of the earlier years, and residual effects of the previous treatments were very small in the absence of fresh nitrogen fertilizer. Yields were not recorded from 1923-1939, except in 1935.
- Number of plots
- 10
- Crops
Crop Years grown
Design period: Phase III (1940—1985)
- Description
- Between 1940 and 1985, spring barley was grown and N fertilizer applied to all plots every year. Initially a single rate was applied, 63-88 kg N/ha. In 1976 the 10 main plots were each divided to test four rates of N (0, 48, 96 and 144 kg N/ha), which were rotated each year. No other fertilizer or manure was applied 1902-1985. No crop was grown in 1967 or 1975. Grain and straw yields were recorded from 1949 onwards. Nitrogen not only increased yields, but allowed the crop to take advantage of P and K residues remaining in the soil from Phase I of the experiment. The effects of these were initially large but declined as amounts of phosphate in the soil declined.
- Number of plots
- 10
- Number of subplots
- 40
- Number of harvests per year
- 1
- Crop
Crop Years grown barley 1940—1985 - Factor
- nitrogen fertilizer exposure Single rate applied to all plots until 1976 when 4 different N rates were applied but rotate in the sequence N0>N3>N2>N1, eg N0 1976, N3 1977, N2 1978, N1 1979, N0 1980. the cumulative N rate for each plot is therefore equal.
(75 kgN/ha)
1940—1948Chemical form: ammonium sulfate(63 kgN/ha)
1949—1963Chemical form: ammonium sulfate(88 kgN/ha)
1964—1974Chemical form: calcium ammonium nitrateN0 (0 )
1976—1985N1 (48 kgN/ha)
1976—1985Chemical form: calcium ammonium nitrateN2 (96 kgN/ha)
1976—1985Chemical form: calcium ammonium nitrateN3 (144 kgN/ha)
1976—1985Chemical form: calcium ammonium nitrate
- nitrogen fertilizer exposure
Design period: Phase IV (1986—2006)
- Description
- In 1986, after a long period when the P residues in particular were being “exhausted”, it was decided to see how quickly this decline in soil fertility could be reversed. Annual, cumulative dressings of 0 v 44 v 87 v 131 kg P ha-1, as triple superphosphate, were tested on five of the original plots (each divided into four sub-plots). Spring barley was grown. This was known as the "P Test". Basal N and K were applied such that these nutrients did not limit yield. Responses to fresh P were rapid. Applications of P stopped after seven years. No P was applied between 1993 and 1999, but since 2000, maintenance dressings, equivalent to offtakes by the crop, have been applied (not to the no-fresh-P sub-plots). Wheat has been grown since 1992. Typically, it showed the same response to available-P as spring barley i.e. above a critical level, on this soil, of about 12 mg kg-1 there is no further increase in yield.
- Crops
Crop Years grown barley 1986—1991 wheat 1992—2006 - Factors
- phosphate fertilizer exposure Applied to "P" test sub-plots. These plots received basal manuring rates of 144 kg N/ha and 83 kg K/haPlot application: Sub plot
P0 (0 )
P1 (44 kgP/ha)
1986—1991Applied to crop: barleyApplication frequency: annually in autumnChemical form: calcium bis(dihydrogenphosphate)P2 (87 kgP/ha)
1986—1991Applied to crop: barleyApplication frequency: annually in autumnChemical form: calcium bis(dihydrogenphosphate)P3 (131 kgP/ha)
1986—1991Applied to crop: barleyApplication frequency: annually in autumnChemical form: calcium bis(dihydrogenphosphate)- nitrogen fertilizer exposure Applied to "N" Tests sub plots. N rates rotate each year N0>N3>N2>N1, eg N0 1986, N3 1987, N2 1988, N1 1989, N0 1990Plot application: Sub plot
N0 (0 )
Applied to crop: wheatN1 (48 kgN/ha)
1986—1991Applied to crop: barleyChemical form: calcium ammonium nitrateN2 (96 kgN/ha)
1986—1991Chemical form: calcium ammonium nitrateN3 (144 kgN/ha)
1986—1991Applied to crop: barleyChemical form: calcium ammonium nitrate
- phosphate fertilizer exposure
Design period: Phase V (2007—)
- Description
- On the other half of the experiment, the effects of K residues (in the presence of basal P and N) on yield are investigated (the "K Test" plots). Since 2007, annual cumulative applications of 0, 62.2 and 124.5 kg K ha-1 as muriate of potash have been applied (K0, K1 and K2). Basal N and P has been applied so that yields are not limited. From autumn 2015 P was withheld from plots 013, 033, 053, 073 and 093 ("P Test" plots) in addition to those which no longer receive P (plots 014, 034, 054, 074 and 094) because the plant available P was increasing on these plots. See Exhaustion Land today for more details.
- Crops
Crop Years grown