Dataset: Park Grass Plot & Treatments Timeline 1856-2025

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Summary

This dataset consist of an Excel file with four alternative tabular plans which illustrate the changes in plots since the experiment began in 1856 up to the present day.

Since being set up in 1856 its various plots have received differing fertilizer and manure treatments and there have been an assortment of changes over time. These changes are comprised of three main Design Periods relating to lime applications and various irregular changes to fertiliser treatments:

Liming designs:- Design Period 1. 1856 - 1902 Whole plots with no liming. Design Period 2. 1903 - 1964 Whole plots split in half to give one half of sub-plots receiving lime (L) and the other half un-limed (L). Design Period 3. 1965 - present Original whole plots became four sub-plots with differing amounts of lime to adjust the pH of the soils in each where a = pH 7, b = pH 6, c = pH5, d = unlimed (the pH of these d plots ranges from 3.5 to 5.7 depending on the fertilizer treatment.)

These Tables will aid any person wanting to use the Park Grass data in understanding the complexities of the changes that have been made since the experiment started. The Full Detail Time Series Table also includes the new plot ids which have been given retrospectively in 2025 to all plots. These new ploot ids aim to show the provenance of each plot now.

Methods

Technical Information

From 2025, an additional plot identification number, "new_plot_id" uses a new naming convention assigned retrospectively to all plots since the start of the experiment in 1856. It is intended to show the provenance of the treatments of the plots using ' \ ' and '.' to indicate significant changes, where ' \ ' indicates a liming change and '.' indicates a plot-split for a fertilizer modification. For example, original plot number id., 7\1a now also has the new plot id., 7.1\L\a, where 7.1 indicates it has been split, for a new fertilizer treatment, and \L\a indicates the changes in liming it has undergone (where L a indicates a limed half pre-1964 and a indicating lime to pH 7 from 1965.

Related Documents

• A celebration of 150 years of the Park Grass Experiment (Leaflet), 2006 :
• Park Grass experiment plan and treatments since 1965, updated 2018 :
• Park Grass experiment plan and fertilizer treatments 1903-1964 :
• Park Grass experiment plan and treatments 1856-1902 :
• Park Grass Experiment lime treatments 1856-2024 :

Related Datasets

• Park Grass Hay Yields, Fertilizer and Lime Treatments 1903-1964
• Park Grass Fertilizer Treatments and Hay Yields 1856-1902
• Park Grass Yields and Fertilizer Treatments 1965-2024

Contributors

• Sarah Perryman: Data collector
• Margaret Glendining: Data curator
• Nathalie Castells: Data manager

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: Perryman, S., Glendining, M. (2025). Dataset: Park Grass Plot & Treatments Timeline 1856-2025 Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK https://doi.org/10.23637/rpg5-PGtimeline-1856-2025-01

Please review our How to Credit Datasets guidance for more information.

Conditions of Use

Rothamsted relies on the integrity of users to ensure that datasets are used appropriately and Rothamsted Research receives suitable acknowledgment as being the originators of these data. Please review the Conditions of Use before downloading.