Objectives: To see the effects on the soil and vegetation of abandoning arable cropping
Description: Part of the Broadbalk wheat experiment was fenced off and allowed to naturally revert to woodland in 1882. In 1900 it was divided into two halves, one remained as regenerating woodland, in the other half all woody species were removed ('stubbed') each year, to allow open ground vegetation to develop. In 1957 the stubbed section was divided into two, one half remained stubbed, the other was mown for three years, then grazed by sheep from 1960-2000, and since 2001 has been mown each year (herbage is not removed).
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
Small site (0.2ha). One half is naturally regenerating woodland. The other half is divided into two, one half native permanent grassland mown each year, the other is 'stubbed' (all woody plants are removed).
Description: The site was part of the Broadbalk wheat experiment, and had grown unmanured winter wheat since autumn 1843. Large amounts of chalk had been applied to the soil in the late 18th - early 19th centuries, and the surface soil pH is still neutral. In 1882 the site was fenced off and all cropping abandoned. In 1900 it was divided into two halves: one half remained untouched (regenerating woodland). The other half had all woody species removed annually (stubbed), to allow open ground vegetation to develop. In 1957 the stubbed section was divided into two, one half remains as 'stubbed', the other half was mown for three years, grazed by sheep each year from 1960-2000, mown since 2001 (herbage not removed).
Management: In 1900 it was divided into two halves: one half remained untouched (regenerating woodland). The other half had all woody species removed annually (stubbed), to allow open ground vegetation to develop. In 1957 the stubbed section was divided into two, one half remains as 'stubbed', the other half was mown for three years, grazed by sheep each year from 1960-2000, mown since 2001 (herbage not removed). No fertilizer or manure is applied.
J. Storkey , A.J. Macdonald , J.R. Bell , I.M. Clark , A.S. Gregory , N.J. Hawkins , P.R. Hirsch , L.C. Todman and Whitmore, A.P.(2016) "The Unique Contribution of Rothamsted to Ecological Research at Large Temporal Scales.", Advances in Ecological Research (eds: A.J. Dumbrell , R.L. Kordas and G. Woodward - Academic Press), Vol 55, Chapter 1, pp. 3-42 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.08.002
2008
Jenkinson, D.S. , Poulton, P.R. and Bryant, C.(2008) "The turnover of organic carbon in subsoils. Part 1. Natural and bomb radiocarbon in soil profiles from the Rothamsted long-term field experiments", European Journal of Soil Science, 59, 391-399 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2389.2008.01025.x
2003
Poulton, P.R. , Pye, E. , Hargreaves, P.R. and Jenkinson, D.S.(2003) "Accumulation of carbon and nitrogen by old arable land reverting to woodland", Global Change Biology, 9, 942-955 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00633.x
2002
Blake, L. and Goulding, K.W.T.(2002) "Effects of atmospheric deposition, soil pH and acidification on heavy metal contents in soils and vegetation of semi-natural ecosystems at Rothamsted Experimental Station, UK", Plant and Soil, 240, 235-251 DOI: 10.1023/A:1015731530498
Pye, E.(2002) "Investigation of woodland regeneration within two Wilderness areas. PhD thesis", University of Hertfordshire.
2001
Harmer, R. , Peterken, G. , Kerr, G. and Poulton, P.(2001) "Vegetation changes during 100 years of development of two secondary woodlands on abandoned arable land", Biological Conservation, 101, 291-304 DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00072-6
1999
Blake, L. , Goulding, K.W.T. , Johnston, A.E. and Mott, C.J.B.(1999) "Changes in soil chemistry accompanying acidification over more than 100 years under woodland and grass at Rothamsted Experimental Station, UK", European Journal of Soil Science, 50, 401-412 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2389.1999.00253.x
1996
Poulton, P.R.(1996) "Geescroft Wilderness, 1883-1995", NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Evaluation of soil organic matter models using existing long-term datasets, NATO ASI Series I: Global Environmental Change, (Powlson D. S. , Smith P. and Smith J.U. (eds) - Springer-Verlag, Berlin), Vol 38, 385-389
Kerr, G. , Harmer, R. and Moss, S.R.(1996) "Natural colonisation: a study of Broadbalk Wilderness", Aspects of Applied Biology, 25-32
Brenchley, W.E. and Adam, H.(1915) "Recolonisation of cultivated land allowed to revert to natural conditions", Journal of Ecology, 3, 193-210 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2255489
1895
Lawes, J.B.(1895) "Upon some properties of soils, which have grown a cereal crop and a leguminous crop for many years in succession. ", Agricultural Students' Gazette, New Series, 7, 65-72 (Series 1/91)
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