Woburn Market Garden
- Experiment Code: W/RN/4
- Experiment Site: Woburn
- Objectives: To study the effects of bulky organic manures, farmyard manure, sewage sludge and two types of compost in building up an agricultural soil for the growth of Market Garden crops. Certain plots were treated with fertilisers alone to provide controls for the organic treatments.
- Description: The experiment was grass from 1974 to 1982. When concerns were expressed in the late 1970s about the heavy metal content of sewage sludges being applied to agricultural land, the experiment was “reactivated” to examine the fate of metals that had been applied in the sewage sludge between 1942 and 1961. More recently, the experiment has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of hyperaccumulator plants, i.e. plants that can naturally accumulate large amounts of metals from soils and which, potentially, could be used to “clean up” soils contaminated with heavy metals. Part of the experiment was physically moved in 2005 and in 2006 the whole experiment was sown to grass.
- Date Start: 1942
- Date End: 2006
Key Contacts
Steve McGrath
- Role: Principal Investigator
- Organisation: Rothamsted Research
- Address: West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom
Sarah Perryman
- Role: Data Manager
- Organisation: Rothamsted Research
- Address: West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom
Funding
- The e-RA database, including the published datasets generated from it, is part of the Rothamsted Long-Term Experiments - National Bioscience Research Infrastructure (RLTE-NBRI) , which also includes the Long-Term Experiments, the Sample Archive and Rothamsted's environmental monitoring activities including the weather stations and its role in the UK Environmental Change Network.
- The RLTE-NBRI is supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Grants BBS/E/C/00005189 (2012-2017); BBS/E/C/000J0300 (2017-2022); BBS/E/RH/23NB0007 (2023-2028)).
Experimental Design
Description
- The experiment had two series, each growing a separate phase of a two year rotation. Each series was split into 4 blocks of 10 plots.
Design
- Period: 1942 - 1950
- Number of Blocks: 8
- Number of Plots: 80
- Number of Harvests per Year: 2
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Cabbages | |
| Peas | |
| Leeks | |
| Beetroot |
Crop Rotations
| Rotation | Crops |
|---|---|
| ( - ) | Beetroot > Cabbages > Peas > Leeks |
Factors
Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.
Natural Fertilizer Exposure
Description: Amendments were applied in winter before beetroot and peas
Application: Whole Plot
Levels
| Level Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Crop | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmyard Manure | - | ||||||
| Sewage Sludge | - | ||||||
| Straw Compost | - | Made with sewage sludge and straw | |||||
| Vegetable Compost | - | Made with farm waste and farmyard manure |
Nitrogen Fertilizer Exposure
Description: N0 and N1 applied both with and without the organics and N2 and N3 applied without organics only. The N rate refers to the total applied over the two year rotation period.
Application: Whole Plot
Levels
| Level Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Crop | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N0 | 0 | - | |||||
| N1 | 75 kgN/ha | - | annually in spring | broadcast application method | ammonium sulfate | ||
| N2 | 150 kgN/ha | - | ammonium sulfate | ||||
| N3 | 225 kgN/ha | - | ammonium sulfate |
Description
- Potatoes were introduced as a result of repeated crop failures in spring cabbages.
Design
- Period: 1951 - 1961
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Beetroot | |
| Cabbages | |
| Leeks | |
| Potatoes |
Crop Rotations
| Rotation | Crops |
|---|---|
| Bt-Ca-Le (1951 - 1955) | Beetroot > Cabbages > Leeks |
| Bt-P-Le (1956 - 1961) | Beetroot > Potatoes > Leeks |
Factors
Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.
Natural Fertilizer Exposure
Application: Whole Plot
Levels
| Level Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Crop | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmyard Manure | - | ||||||
| Sewage Sludge | - | ||||||
| Straw Compost | - | Made with sewage sludge and straw | |||||
| Vegetable Compost | - | Made with farm waste and farmyard manure |
Nitrogen Fertilizer Exposure
Description: N0 and N1 applied both with and without the organics and N2 and N3 applied without organics only. The N rate refers to the total applied over the two year rotation period.
Application: Whole Plot
Levels
| Level Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Crop | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N0 | - | ||||||
| N1 | 37 kgN/ha | - | calcium ammonium nitrate | ||||
| N2 | 75 kgN/ha | - | calcium ammonium nitrate | ||||
| N3 | 113 kgN/ha | - | calcium ammonium nitrate |
Description
- The Experiment continued with comparisons of Nitrogen rates and organic manuring with various crops grown, although application of sewage sludges was discontinued.
Design
- Period: 1962 - 1973
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Leeks | |
| Beetroot | |
| Potatoes | |
| Carrots | |
| Rye | |
| Beans | |
| Grass Leys | |
| Grass Clover Leys |
Factors
Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.
Nitrogen Fertilizer Exposure
Description: N applied at various rates. Rates depend on the crop.
Levels
| Level Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Crop | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|
Natural Fertilizer Exposure
Levels
| Level Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Crop | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grass-clover Ley | - | ||||||
| Grass Ley | - | ||||||
| Straw | 7.5 t/ha | - | As chopped barley straw | ||||
| Peat | 7.5 t/ha | - | As sedge peat | ||||
| Green Manure | - | As practicable depending on the arable crop grown | |||||
| None | - | ||||||
| Farmyard Manure | 50 t/ha | - | Replaced vegetable compost. 25 t/ha in 1967 and 1970 | ||||
| Pkmg Equivalent | - | No organic manure but P, K and Mg applied at equivalent rates to that in the farmyard manure treatment |
Description
- To study the residual effects of fertilisers and organic manures. No yields were taken and no new treatments were applied during this period.
Design
- Period: 1974 - 1982
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Fallow | |
| Rye Grass |
Description
- The experiment was reactivated to determine the fate of metals applied in the sewage sludge between 1942 and 1961. No new treatments were applied. Since 2006 the experiment has been in grass
Design
- Period: 1983 - 2005
- Number of Blocks: 8
- Number of Plots: 80
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Beetroot | |
| Carrots | |
| Barley | |
| White Clover |
Site: Lansome I - Woburn
- Experiment Site: Woburn
- Visit Permitted?: Yes
- Visiting Arrangments: By arrangement with Dr Andy Macdonald
- Elevation: 92 Metres
- Geolocation: 52.013017, -0.599183
Soil
There are currently no prepared datasets online for this experiment. However,
there may still be data available but requiring curation.
For more information please contact the e-RA curators.
License
These media (images and videos) are
available under a Creative Commons
Attribution Licence (4.0) with attribution to Rothamsted Research.
Images
Key References
2005
- Abaye, D.A. , Lawlor, K. , Hirsch, P.R. and Brookes, P.C.(2005) "Changes in the microbial community of an arable soil caused by long-term metal contamination", European Journal of Soil Science, 56, 93-102
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2389.2004.00648.x - Barajas-Aceves, M.(2005) "Comparison of different microbial biomass and activity measurement methods in metal-contaminated soils", Bioresource Technology, 96, 1405-1414
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2004.09.013
2000
- Lombi, E. , Zhao, F.J. , Dunham, S.J. and McGrath, S.P.(2000) "Cadmium accumulation in populations of Thlaspi caerulescens and Thlaspi goesingense", New Phytologist, 145, 11-20
DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2000.00560.x
1993
- Giller, K.E. , Nussbaum, R. , Chaudri, A.M. and McGrath, S.P.(1993) "Rhizobium meliloti is less sensitive to heavy-metal contamination in soil than Rhizobium leguminosarum bv trifolii or R. loti ", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 25, 273-278
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(93)90039-e - Hirsch, P.R. , Jones, M.J. , McGrath, S.P. and Giller, K.E.(1993) "Heavy metals from past ppplications of sewage sludge decrease the denetic diversity of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii populations", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 25, 1485-1490
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(93)90003-t
1992
- Chaudri, A.M. , McGrath, S.P. and Giller, K.E.(1992) "Metal tolerance of isolates of Rhizobium leguminosarum Biovar trifolii from soil contaminated by past applications of sewage-sludge ", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 24, 83-88
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(92)90262-v - Lorenz, S.E. , McGrath, S.P. and Giller, K.E.(1992) "Assessment of free-living nitrogen-fixation activity as a biological indicator of heavy-metal toxicity in soil ", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 24, 601-606
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(92)90086-d
1990
- Koomen, I. , McGrath, S.P. and Giller, K.E.(1990) "Mycorrhizal Infection of Clover Is Delayed in Soils Contaminated with Heavy-Metals from Past Sewage-Sludge Applications", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 22, 871-873
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(90)90170-5
1989
- McGrath, S.P. and Lane, P.W.(1989) "An explanation for the apparent losses of metals in a long-term field experiment with sewage-sludge", Environmental Pollution, 60, 235-256
DOI: 10.1016/0269-7491(89)90107-3 - Giller, K.E. , McGrath, S.P. and Hirsch, P.R.(1989) "Absence of nitrogen-fixation in clover grown on soil subject to long-term contamination with heavy-metals is due to survival of only ineffective rhizobium", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 21, 841-848
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(89)90179-x
1988
- McGrath, S.P. , Brookes, P.C. and Giller, K.E.(1988) "Effects of Potentially Toxic Metals in Soil Derived from Past Applications of Sewage-Sludge on Nitrogen-Fixation by Trifolium repens L. ", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 20, 415-424
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(88)90052-1
1987
- Brookes, P.C. and McGrath, S.P.(1987) "Adenylate energy charge in metal-contaminated soil", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 19, 219-220
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(87)90085-x - McGrath, S.P.(1987) "Long term studies of metal transfers following applications of sewage sludge. In: Pollutant Transport and Fate in Ecosystems, Eds. P.J. Coughtrey, M.H. Martin and M.H. Unsworth. Special Publication No.6 of the British Ecological Society", Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, pp.301-317
1986
- Brookes, P.C. , Heijnen, C.E. , McGrath, S.P. and Vance, E.D.(1986) "Soil microbial biomass estimates in soils contaminated with metals", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 18, 383-388
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(86)90042-8 - Brookes, P.C. , McGrath, S.P. and Heijnen, C.(1986) "Metal Residues in Soils Previously Treated with Sewage-Sludge and Their Effects on Growth and Nitrogen-Fixation by Blue-Green-Algae", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 18, 345-&
DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(86)90037-4
1984
- Brookes, P.C. and McGrath, S.P.(1984) "Effect of metal toxicity on the size of the soil microbial biomass", Journal of Soil Science, 35, 341-346
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1984.tb00288.x
1980
- Catt, J.A. , Weir, A.H. , Norrish, R.E. , Rayner, J.H. , King, D.W. , Hall, D.G.M. and Murphy, C.P.(1980) "The soils of Woburn Experimental Farm. III. Stackyard", Part 2 , 5-39
DOI: 10.23637/ERADOC-1-34287
1975
- Johnston, A.E. and Wedderburn, R.W.M.(1975) "The Woburn Market Garden experiment 1942-1969 I. A history of the experiment, details of the treatments and yields of the crops. ", Part 2 , 79-101
Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1974p2-81-103 - Johnston, A.E.(1975) "The Woburn Market Garden experiment, 1942-1969. II: The effect of the treatments on soil pH, soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. ", Part 2 , 102-132
Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1974p2-104-133
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For further information and assistance, please contact the e-RA curators, Sarah Perryman and Margaret Glendining using the e-RA email address: era@rothamsted.ac.uk