Dataset: Exhaustion Land wheat growth, soil moisture and soil available P and N dynamics over two growing seasons

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Example data: Soil water content, 0-23cm 2013-2014

Summary

Winter wheat was sampled several times over the growing seasons in 2013 and 2014, to measure crop growth and changes in soil moisture, Olsen P, nitrate-N, ammonium-N and CaCl₂-extractable P on six plots on the Exhaustion Land experiment, with two different P treatments. Plant uptake of Ca, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, P, S and Zn, and baseline soil properties in 2012 are published as separate datasets.

Methods

Soil and crop samples were taken at frequent intervals throughout the wheat growth period, commencing at growth stage 11 or 13 (Zadoks decimal system). Winter wheat variety Xi-19 was sown in the autumn.

Samples were taken from six plots: two P treatments - Control (P0) and P added (P3), each from three main plots: Plot 3 (FYM 1876-1901) Plot 7 (NPKNaMg 1876-1901) and Plot 9 (P only 1876-1901).

Annual P treatments:

• Control (P0): no P fertiliser applied since 1901
• P added (P3): 131 kgP/ha 1986-1992, 20kgP/ha 2000-2008, 15kgP/ha since 2009, all as triple superphosphate.

Technical Information

Crop and soil samples were taken from four x 0.25m² sample areas from each plot.

Soil Samples were taken with a 2.5cm diameter stainless steel auger, at two depths, 0-23cm and 23-46cm. Five cores were taken from each sample area and aggregated.

• Soil Moisture % from soil sieved <2mm, oven-dried for 16 hours at 105 degrees C.
• PO₄-P, by Olsen P. Air-dried, sieved <2mm soil, 0.5 M sodium bicarbonate at pH 8.5 (Olsen et al, 1954), mg P/kg soil
• NH₄-N determined on fresh <44m sieved soil, extracted with 2M KCl. Samples were shaken for 2 hours, filtered, the extract analysed with continuous colorimetric flow analysis (Skalar SANPLUS System), mg N/kg soil
• NO₃-N determined on fresh <44m sieved soil, extracted with 2M KCl. Samples were shaken for 2 hours, filtered, the extract analysed with continuous colorimetric flow analysis (Skalar SANPLUS System), mg N/kg soil
• CaCl₂-extractable P determined on air-dried, sieved <2mm soil, extracted with 0.01M CaCl₂. The extracts were filtered, acidified to 5% HNO₃ and analysed by ICP-MS, after method of Houba et al, 1996. mg P/kg soil.

Wheat Samples were removed at each sample date at ground level using secateurs, washed with deionised water to remove any soil.

• Crop dry matter was determined by oven drying at 16 hours at 80 degrees C. g/m2 at 100% dry matter.

Since 1986 all the plots have received basal N fertiliser each growing season, 144kgN/ha 1986-1992 and 192kgN/ha 1993-2002. Since 2003 each plot has received 300kgN/ha split into 50, 200 and 50 kg N/ha in March, April and May respectively. Basal K, Mg and S is also applied to all plots.

Related Documents

• Wu et al, 2019. Simulation of P chemistry, uptake and utilisation by winter wheat :
• Houba et al, 1996. CaCl2 extraction method :
• Zadoks et al, 1974. A decimal code for the growth stages of cereals :
• Exhaustion Land Experiment plan and fertilizer treatments, Phase V, 2007 onwards :

Related Datasets

• Exhaustion Land Experiment soil chemical properties 2012
• Exhaustion Land wheat growth and nutrient uptake over two growing seasons

Contributors

• Sarah Dunham: Data collector
• Javier Hernandez-Allica: Data collector
• Steve McGrath: Researcher
• Margaret Glendining: Data curator
• Lianhai Wu: Researcher
• Martin Blackwell: Researcher
• Melanie Brookman: Data collector
• Wendy Wilmer: Data collector
• Steve Freeman: Data collector

Dataset Access and Conditions

Rights Holder

Rothamsted Research

License

This dataset is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (4.0).

Cite this Dataset

YOU MUST CITE AS: Dunham, S., Hernandez-Allica, J., McGrath, S., Wu, L., Blackwell, M., Glendining, M. (2025). Dataset: Exhaustion Land wheat growth, soil moisture and soil available P and N dynamics over two growing seasons Electronic Rothamsted Archive, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK https://doi.org/10.23637/rex4-SOIL1314-01

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