Highfield Conversion Experiment
- Experiment Code: R/CS/767
- Experiment Site: Rothamsted
- Objectives: To study the effects of changes in agricultural land use and management on crop production and soil physical, chemical and biological parameters, including soil organic matter and structure, soil fauna and microbial diversity; originally long-term grass (>100 years)
- Date Start: 2008
- Date End: Ongoing
Description
- In 2008 two plots (continuous grass and arable) within each block of the Highfield Ley-Arable experiment were split to establish grass, arable and bare-fallow treatments within each. Adjacent long-term bare-fallow areas were also included in the experiment. Soil samples are taken regularly and yields are taken annually. Many archived samples are available. It is the only site at Rothamsted available for studying the effects of converting long-term grass to arable and bare-fallow treatments on Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), fertility, soil resilience and recovery. The experiment has support from several groups within Rothamsted, providing a resource for multidisciplinary research, from analytical chemistry, soil physical structure, GHG emissions and nitrification potential, microbial and mesofauna community responses to management change. It is probably unique in that it examines soil resilience and restoration through plants.
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)).
Keywords
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.
Site: Highfield - Rothamsted
- Experiment Site: Rothamsted
- Description: Previously part of the Highfield Ley-Arable experiment. The site was originally permanent grassland. The bare fallow plots were started in 1959 and maintained by regular tilling. The arable plots were converted from grassland to continuous arable (wheat) in 1949.
- Visit Permitted?: Yes
- Visiting Arrangments: By arrangement with Dr Andy Macdonald
- Elevation: 130 Metres
- Geolocation: 51.804307, -0.36268
Soil
- Type: Luvisol
- Soil Properties
| Variable | Value | Reference Year | Is Estimated | Is Baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil total carbon | % (Percent) | 2008 | NO | YES |
| Total soil nitrogen | % (Percent) | 2008 | NO | YES |
| Soil organic carbon | g/cm3 (gram per cubic centimetre) | 2008 | NO | YES |
Experiment Design
Use the arrows to navigate between periods
Description
- In October 2008, 10 × 6 m areas within the existing bare fallow, arable and grassland plots on the Highfield/Geescroft site of Rothamsted farm were converted to one of the alternative treatments. Plots were subdivided in a randomized block design to provide three plots for each permanent and conversion treatment. All plots except those remaining as permanent grassland were ploughed (standard depth, 23 cm)
Design
- Period: 2008 - Now
- Experiment Design Type: Randomized complete block design
- Number of Blocks: 3
- Number of Plots: 27
- Number of Harvests per Year: 1
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Fallow | |
| Grass | |
| Wheat |
Factors
Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.
| Level Name | Factor Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent Grass | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Permanent Grass Converted to Arable | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Permanent Grass Converted to Bare Fallow | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Arable Converted to Grass | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Continuous Arable | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Arable Converted to Bare Fallow | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Bare Fallow Converted to Grass | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Bare Fallow Converted to Arable | Cropping System | - | |||||
| Continuous Bare Fallow | Cropping System | - |
License
These media (images and videos) are
available under a Creative Commons
Attribution Licence (4.0) with attribution to Rothamsted Research.
Images
Key References
2017
- - Hirsch, P. R., Jhurreea, D., Williams, J. K., Murray, P. J., Scott, T., Misselbrook, T. H., Goulding, K. W. T. and Clark, I. M. (2017) "Soil resilience and recovery: rapid community responses to management changes", Plant and Soil, 412, 283–297 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-3068-x
2009
- - Hirsch, P. R., Gilliam, L. M., Sohi, S. P., Williams, J. K., Clark, I. M. and Murray, P. J. (2009) "Starving the soil of plant inputs for 50 years reduces abundance but not diversity of soil bacterial communities", Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41, 2021–2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.07.011
