Saxmundham Rotation II

Datasets Key information Site and Design Media Bibliography
  • Experiment Code: S/RN/2
  • Experiment Site: Saxmundham
  • Objectives: To investigate the effects of soil P and fresh fertilizer P on the yields of arable crops at a range of soil P values.
  • Date Start: 1899
  • Establisment Period End: 1968
  • Date End: Ongoing
  • Key Contacts: Andrew Gregory, (Principal Investigator), 0000-0001-7123-0784 , Paul Poulton, (Principal Investigator), Margaret Glendining, (Data Manager), 0000-0002-6466-4629 , Nathan Morris, (Principal Investigator), David Clarke, (Principal Investigator), 0000-0002-3905-5725 ,

Description

    • The experiment consists of 8 Main Strips (originally 10). Between 1899 and 1968 various combinations of FYM and P fertilizer applied to these Main Strips resulted a wide range of Olsen P values (4-65 mg/kg Olsen P). By 1969 the eight strips were divided into four blocks (A, B, C and D) with 20 micro-plots in each strip. On each set of micro-plots within each Strip/Block five amounts of P fertilizer were tested on potatoes, sugar beet, spring barley and winter wheat). Yields and P uptake were measured and Soil Olsen P content. Rothamsted relinquished the site in 2010. It is currently supported by the Morley Agricultural Trust Foundation and delivered by NIAB.

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

  • arable farming, experimental design, fertilizer, long term experiments, nitrogen fertilizers, phosphorous, soil ph
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.

Key Information

Plans and treatments

Open

Site: Saxmundham II - Saxmundham

  • Experiment Site: Saxmundham
  • Description: The Saxmundham experimental site is currently supported by The Morley Agricultural Foundation and delivered by NIAB.
  • Visit Permitted?: No
  • Visiting Arrangments: None
  • Elevation: 37 Metres
  • Geolocation:    52.221, 1.466

Soil

  • Type: Eutric Gleysol
    Sandy clay loam developed in drift over Chalky boulder clay, Beccles Series

Experiment Design

  1. 1 - Final period - 1969 - 2010
  2. 2 - Early period - 1899 - 1964
  3. 3 - Middle period - 1965 - 1968

Use the arrows to navigate between periods

- 1 - Final period - 1969 - 2010 -

Description

  • Following the previous treatments, a wide range of Olsen P values (4-65 mg P/kg) had been established. The purpose of the revised experiment was to investigate the effects of soil P and fresh fertilizer P on the yields of arable crops at a range of soil P values (Johnston et al. 1986). In 1969 the eight strips were divided into four blocks (A, B, C, D) each containing 8 main strips (1-8), each divided into 5 micro-plots (01-20) (each 5.49 x 3.56 m). Cropping and treatments to the micro-plots were phased-in, with Blocks A and B starting in 1969 and Blocks C and D in 1970. On each set of micro-plots within each strip/Block five amounts of P fertilizer were tested. On each set of micro-plots within each Strip/Block, five amounts of P fertilizer were tested, P0, P0, P1, P2, P3 (0, 0, 27.4, 54.8, 82.2 kg P/ha). These were applied every second year (see '(a)' on plan). Between 1973-1975 on Blocks A & B (1974-1976 on blocks C & D) one of the P0 micro-plots remained as P0, two micro-plots received a total of 82.2 kg P/ha as 3 annual dressings each of 27.4 kg P/ha and two micro-plots received a total of 82.2 kg P/ha as one dressing only in 1973 (or 1974) (see '(b)' on plan). From autumn 1977 (or 1978) a 'maintenance' dressing of 52.4 kg P/ha was applied every second year to two of the micro-plots; no P was applied to the others (see 'c' on the plan). Some microplots received no further applications of manure or fertilizer P after 1968 by which time a wide range of Olsen P values had been established. The decline in Olsen P in each of the eight main treatment strips was measured and, by shifting the eight decay curves horizontally, a common decay curve could be fitted to the data (Johnston et al., 1986). The half-life, i.e. the time taken for Olsen P to decline by half from any given value to an asymptote (the lowest Olsen P value measured on the experiment), could be calculated (Johnston et al., 2016 and other papers). Data from the Rotation II experiment at Saxmundham has been included in a paper published in a special issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality to mark the 350th Anniversary of the discovery of phosphorus (Johnston & Poulton, 2019).

Design

  • Period: 1969 - 2010
  • Number of Blocks: 4
  • Number of Plots: 8
  • Number of Replicates: 4
  • Number of Sub-plots: 4
  • Number of Harvests per Year: 1

Crops

Crop Years Grown
Potatoes1969 - 1974
Sugar Beet1969 - 1974
Winter Wheat1977 - 1986
Barley1970 - 1979
Faba Beans

Factors

Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.

Level Name Factor Name Amount Years Frequency Method Chemical Form Notes

Measurements

Variable Unit Collection
Frequency		 Material Description
Plant Available Phosphorous Annual Soil Olsen P in soil 0-23cm, 1969-1984
Yield Components t/ha Annually AllCrops Cereal grain and straw yields, sugar yields from sugar beet and tuber yields from potatoes, 1970-1986
Phosphorous Content kgP/ha Annually AllCrops P uptake from cereal grain and straw, potato tubers, sugar from sugar beet. P uptake by beans (1980-1985) estimated.
Soil Organic Carbon Occasionally Soil 1969, 1977/78 and 1981/2. Measured by Tinsley, 0-23cm.
Soil pH Occasionally Soil 1969, 1977/78 and 1981/2. pH in 0.01 M CaCl2, 0-23cm
Fertilizer N Applied kgN/ha Annually Fertilizer N applied to crops 1969-1986
Fertilizer 15n Recovery kgN/ha Annually SpecifiedCrop Nitrogen (N) fertilizer labelled with the heavy isotope 15N was applied to some of the winter wheat plots in the early 1980s, to determine the recovery of fertilizer N in the crop and soil. See Powlson et al (1992) for the recovery of fertilizer N applied in the autumn; Hart et al (1993) for the fate of the residues; Macdonald et al (1989) for the recovery of unused fertilizer N in the soil. The data was also used to partition losses between denitrification and leaching (Addiscott & Powlson, 1992) and to model the fate of N in crop and soil (Bradbury et al, 1993).
Exchangeable K mg/kg Occasionally Soil 1970/71 and 1977/78. 0-23cm.

- - 2 - Early period - 1899 - 1964 -

Description

  • The design is four large blocks each comprising 10 treatment strips. The treatments were applied once every four years. In 1952 two-thirds of the experiment was stopped, although one strip on two blocks was re-incorporated into the experiment later. See Boyd and Trist (1966) for results for this period.

Design

  • Period: 1899 - 1964
  • Number of Blocks: 4
  • Number of Plots: 10
  • Number of Replicates: 4
  • Number of Harvests per Year: 1

Crops

Crop Years Grown
Winter Wheat
Root Vegetables
Barley
Legumes

Factors

Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.

Level Name Factor Name Amount Years Frequency Method Chemical Form Notes

- - 3 - Middle period - 1965 - 1968

Description

  • 4 large blocks with 8 treatment plots. Barley was grown in 1965, potatoes in 1966 and white turnips and sugar beet in 1967 and barley in 1968.

Design

  • Period: 1965 - 1968
  • Number of Plots: 8
  • Number of Replicates: 4
  • Number of Harvests per Year: 1

Crops

Crop Years Grown
Barley
Potatoes
Turnips
Sugar Beet

Factors

Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.

Level Name Factor Name Amount Years Frequency Method Chemical Form Notes

License

Creative Commons License These media (images and videos) are available under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (4.0) with attribution to Rothamsted Research.

Images

Key References

2019

2016

  • - Johnston, A. E., Poulton, P. R., White, R. P. and Macdonald, A. J. (2016) "Determining the longer term decline in plant-available soil phosphorus from short-term measured values", Soil Use and Management, 32, 151–161 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12253

2014

2013

  • - Johnston, A. E., Poulton, P. R. and White, R. P. (2013) "Plant-available soil phosphorus. Part II: the response of arable crops to Olsen P on a sandy clay loam and a silty clay loam", Soil Use and Management, 29, 12–21 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2012.00449.x

2011

  • - Johnston, A. E. and Poulton, P. R. (2011) "Response of cereals to soil and fertilizer phosphorus", HGCA Research Review 74 ,

1987

  • - Johnston, A. E. (1987) "Saxmundham Experimental Station 1899-1986. A review of the achievements during 1965-1986. ", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1986 , , 265–279 Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1986p1andp2-267-281

1986

  • - Goulding, K. W. T., Poulton, P. R., Thomas, V. H. and Williams, R. J. B. (1986) "Atmospheric deposition at Rothamsted experimental station, Saxmundham experimental station and Woburn experimental station, England, 1969-1984", Water Air and Soil Pollution, 29, 27–49 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00149327
  • - Johnston, A. E., Lane, P. W., Mattingly, G. E. G., Poulton, P. R. and Hewitt, M. V. (1986) "Effects of soil and fertilizer P on yields of potatoes, sugar beet, barley and winter wheat on a sandy clay loam soil at Saxmundham, Suffolk", The Journal of Agricultural Science, 106, 155–167 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859600061864

1984

  • - Goulding, K. W. T. and Talibudeen, O. (1984) "Thermodynamics of K-Ca exchange in soils. I. Effects of potassium and organic matter residues in soils from the Broadbalk and Saxmundham Rotation I Experiments.", Journal of Soil Science, 35, 397–408 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1984.tb00296.x

1979

1972

1971

  • - Williams, R. J. B. and Cooke, G. W. (1971) "Results of the Rotation I experiment at Saxmundham,", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1970 , Part 2 , 68–97 Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1970p2-68-97

1970

  • - Mattingly, G. E. G., Johnston, A. E. and Chater, M. (1970) "The residual value of farmyard manure and superphosphate in the Saxmundham Rotation II Experiment,", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1969 , Part 2 , 91–112 Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1969p2-91-112

1968

1967

1966

1941

  • - Oldershaw, A. W. (1941) "Experiments on arable crops at Saxmundham", Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, 102, 136–155
We only use analytics cookies on this site. Please refer to our Privacy and cookies policy
Show Privacy Notice
Rothamsted
BBSRC

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