Woburn Ley Arable
- Experiment Code: W/RN/3
- Experiment Site: Woburn
- Objectives: Effects of continuous arable and ley-arable cropping on crop production, soil organic matter dynamics and fertility in a sandy loam.
- Date Start: 1938
- Date End: Ongoing
- Key Contacts: Andrew Gregory, (Principal Investigator), 0000-0001-7123-0784 , Margaret Glendining, (Data Manager), 0000-0002-6466-4629 ,
Description
- Started in 1938 to compare the effects of rotations with or without grass or grass-clover leys on the yield of two arable test crops. It is now an important resource for investigation of long-term changes in SOM due to different cropping systems. Five year rotation of three years in arable crops or leys (short-term grassland) followed by two years of arable test crops. Total of 40 pairs of plots divided into 5 blocks, phased-in over a five-year period, so the each year of the rotation is present each year.
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, crop rotation, cropping system, fertilizer, grain yield, ley farming, liming, long term experiments, nitrogen content, rothamsted research, soil organic carbon, soil organic matter, wheat, woburn ley-arable experiment
Datasets available
| Title (hover for a longer description) | Year of Publication | Identifier | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
Crop yield data - Annual | |||
| Woburn Ley-arable experiment: yields of wheat as first test crop, 1976-2018 | 2022 | https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn3-wheat7618-01 |
01 |
Experiment details | |||
Soil data | |||
| Woburn Ley-arable experiment soil organic carbon, 1938-2009 | 2022 | https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn3-soc3809-01 |
01 |
- List all eRA datasets
- Additional data is available through e-RAdata. Please register for access
Site: Stackyard - Woburn
- Experiment Site: Woburn
- Description: The experiment started in 1938 on a site that had grown arable crops since at least 1876 and had 0.98% SOC in the topsoil.
- Management: Conventional management, ploughed. There is no irrigation.
- Visit Permitted?: Yes
- Visiting Arrangments: Contact Dr Andrew Gregory
- Elevation: 99 Metres
- Slope: 2
- Geolocation: 51.99906, -0.61673
Soil
Experiment Design
Use the arrows to navigate between periods
- 1 - Period 1 - 1938 - 1972 - 
Description
- 40 pairs of main plots in 5 blocks, phased in over a 5 year period. Each block had four different three-year rotations, followed by two arable test crops: in four plots in each block the rotation was repeated every five years (continuous) and in four plots in each block the rotations alternated every five years, on a 20-year cycle of all four arable and ley-arable rotations. The main plots are in pairs, one of each pair received FYM (farmyard manure) applied every fifth year, to the first test crop, 1941-1967 (the split plots).
Design
- Period: 1938 - 1972
- Experiment Design Type: Split-plot
- Number of Plots: 8
- Number of Replicates: 5
- Number of Sub-plots:
- Number of Harvests per Year: 1
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Grass Clover Leys | |
| Grass Leys | |
| Potatoes | |
| Sugar Beet | |
| Spring Barley | |
| Winter Wheat | |
| Winter Rye | |
| Kales | |
| One-year Hay | |
| Carrots | |
| Oats | |
| Beans | |
| Alfalfa | |
| Sainfoin |
Crop Rotations
| Rotation | Crops |
|---|---|
| Ar arable with roots (1938 - 1972) | Potatoes > Winter Wheat > Sugar Beet > Potatoes > Spring Barley |
| Ah arable with hay (1938 - 1972) | Potatoes > Winter Wheat > One-year Hay > Potatoes > Spring Barley |
| L grass/cover ley (1938 - 1972) | Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Potatoes > Spring Barley |
| Lu legume ley (1938 - 1972) | Alfalfa > Alfalfa > Alfalfa > Potatoes > Spring Barley |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test Crop Yield | t/ha | Annual | AllCrops | Test crop yields - potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beet. |
| Soil Organic Carbon | Every Five Years | Soil | The soil in each block was sampled regularly every five years from 1955, to coincide with the end of the third treatment year |
- 
- 2 - Period 2 - 1973 - 2007 -
Description
- 40 pairs of main plots in 5 blocks, phased in over a 5 year period. Each block had four different three-year rotations, followed by two arable test crops: in four plots in each block the rotation was repeated every five years (continuous) and in four plots in each block the rotations alternated every five years, on a 20-year cycle of all four arable and ley-arable rotations. The main plots are in pairs, one of each pair received FYM (farmyard manure) applied every fifth year, to the first test crop, 1941-1967 (the split plots). The treatments were: AB (all arable rotation); AF (arable rotation with roots or fallow); LN3 (3-year grass ley with fertilizer N); LC3 (3-year legume or grass/clover ley). The alternating rotations were replaced by eight-year grass or grass/clover leys in the mid-1970s: LN8 (8-year grass leys with fertilizer N, followed by two arable test crops); LC8 (8-year grass/clover leys, followed by two arable test crops). The rotations are phased in over a five-year period in the five different blocks, so that each year of the five-year rotation is present each year. The eight-year leys were also phased in, the first cycle starting 1973-77, the second cycle 1978-82. The test crops had four N treatments (split-split plots).
Design
- Period: 1973 - 2007
- Experiment Design Type: Split split plot
- Number of Plots: 8
- Number of Replicates: 5
- Number of Sub-plots:
- Number of Harvests per Year: 1
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Wheat | |
| Spring Barley | |
| Winter Rye | |
| Potatoes | |
| Fallow | |
| Oats | |
| Winter Beans | |
| Carrots | |
| Maize | |
| Grass Clover Leys | |
| Grass Leys | |
| Red Clover |
Crop Rotations
| Rotation | Crops |
|---|---|
| AB/ABe (all arable rotation) (1973 - 2007) | Spring Barley > Spring Barley > Oats > Wheat > Spring Barley |
| AF/AM (all arable rotation with fallow) (1973 - 2007) | Fallow > Fallow > Oats > Wheat > Spring Barley |
| Ln3 (1973 - 2007) | Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Wheat > Spring Barley |
| Lc3 (1973 - 2007) | Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Wheat > Spring Barley |
| Lln8 (1973 - 2007) | Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Grass Leys > Wheat > Spring Barley |
| Llc8 (1973 - 2007) | Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Wheat > Spring Barley |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain Yield | t/ha | Annually | SpecifiedCrop | Grain yields for test crops (wheat and spring barley) |
| Soil Organic Carbon | % | Soil | ||
| Total Soil Nitrogen | % | Soil |
- - 3 - Period 3 - 2008 - Now
Description
- 40 main plots, divided over five blocks. Half the plots have been in four continuous five-year arable or ley-arable rotations since 1938: three years of treatment crops followed by two arable test crops. The other 20 plots were in alternating rotations from 1938 to the mid-1970s: a 20-year cycle of all four arable and ley-arable rotations. These were replaced by eight-year grass or grass/clover leys from the mid-1970s until 2007. From 2008 all plots were in five-year rotations of three years of treatment crops and two years of test crops.: AO (continuous arable with oats); ABe (continuous arable with beans); Ln3 (three-year grass leys with nitrogen); Lc3 (three-year grass/clover leys). In 2021 winter beans (BE) were replaced with winter barley (WB), and all arable rotations followed the same rotation, R, WB, O, W and R. Rotation ABe became AO in 2021, so there are now one arable rotation and two ley/arable rotations, with different histories.
Design
- Period: 2008 - Now
- Experiment Design Type: Split split plot
- Number of Plots: 8
- Number of Replicates: 5
- Number of Sub-plots:
- Number of Harvests per Year: 1
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Winter Wheat | |
| Winter Rye | |
| Beans | |
| Winter Oats | |
| Winter Barley | |
| Grass Leys | |
| Grass Clover Leys |
Crop Rotations
| Rotation | Crops |
|---|---|
| Ln3 (2008 - ) | Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Winter Wheat > Winter Rye |
| Lc3 (2008 - ) | Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Grass Clover Leys > Winter Wheat > Winter Rye |
| (ABe) ABe (2008 - 2020) | Winter Rye > Winter Oats > Beans > Winter Wheat > Winter Rye |
| (AM) AO (2008 - 2020) | Winter Rye > Beans > Winter Oats > Winter Wheat > Winter Rye |
| AO (2021 - ) | Winter Rye > Winter Barley > Winter Oats > Winter Wheat > Winter Rye |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain Yield Trait | t/ha | Annually | SpecifiedCrop | grain yield for test crops (winter wheat and winter rye) |
| Soil Organic Carbon | % | Soil | ||
| Total Soil Nitrogen | % | Soil |
License
These media (images and videos) are
available under a Creative Commons
Attribution Licence (4.0) with attribution to Rothamsted Research.
Images
Key References
2023
- - Poulton, P. R., Johnston, A. E. and White, R. P. (2023) "Response of three cereal crops in continuous arable or ley-arable rotations to fertiliser nitrogen and soil nitrogen at Rothamsted's Woburn Ley-arable experiment", Soil Use and Management, 00, 1–14 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12872
2022
- - MacLaren, C., Glendining, M.J., Poulton, P.R., Macdonald, A.J., Clark, S. (2022) "Woburn Ley-arable experiment: yields of wheat as first test crop, 1976-2018", Electronic Rothamsted Archive, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, UK DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn3-wheat7618-01
- - Johnston, A. E., Poulton, P. R., Macdonald, A. J. and Glendining, M. J. (2022) "The Woburn Ley-arable Experiment, 1938-2020: Its management, the issues and problems that arose, and their resolution to maintain the continuity and relevance of the experiment", , 28 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn3-manag1938-2020-01
- - Poulton, P. R., Johnston, A. E., Macdonald, A. J. and Glendining, M. J. (2022) "Woburn Ley-arable experiment fertilizer and lime applications 1938-2020" DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn3-fert1938-2020-01
2021
- - Poulton, P. R., Johnston, A. E., Macdonald, A. J. and Glendining, M. J. (2021) "Woburn Ley-arable experiment cropping sequence 1938-2020", electronic Rothamsted Archive, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn3-cropping1938-2020-01
2018
- - Nicholson, F., Bhogal, A., Taylor, M., McGrath, S. and Withers, P. (2018) "Long-term Effects of Biosolids on Soil Quality and Fertility", Soil Science, 183, 89–98 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/ss.0000000000000239
2017
- - Johnston, A. E., Poulton, P. R., Coleman, K., Macdonald, A. J. and White, R. P. (2017) "Changes in soil organic matter over 70 years in continuous arable and ley arable rotations on a sandy loam soil in England", European Journal of Soil Science, 68, 305–316 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12415
- - Watts, C. W., Glendining, M. J. and Castells-Brooke, N. I. D. (2017) "Woburn Experimental Farm Soil and Field Maps", Electronic Rothamsted Archive, Rothamsted Research DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/ws-soil-maps-01
2009
- - Johnston, A. E., Poulton, P. R. and Coleman, K. (2009) "Soil organic matter: its importance in sustainable agriculture and carbon dioxide fluxes", Advances in Agronomy, 101, 1–57 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0065-2113(08)00801-8
1996
- - Poulton, P. R. (1996) "Woburn Ley-Arable. ", Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems, Report No. 7, GCTE Task 3.3.1, Soil Organic Matter Network (SOMNET), 1996 Model and Experimental Metadata (Smith P. , Smith J.U. and Powlson D.S. (eds) - GCTE Focus 3 Office, Wallingford, UK), 154–156
1980
- - Catt, J. A., Weir, A. H., Norrish, R. E., Rayner, J. H., King, D. W., Hall, D. G. M. and Murphy, C. P. (1980) "The soils of Woburn Experimental Farm. III. Stackyard", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1979 , Part 2 , 5–39 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/ERADOC-1-34287
1973
- - Johnston, A. E. (1973) "The effects of ley and arable cropping systems on the amounts of soil organic matter in the Rothamsted and Woburn ley-arable experiment", Rothamsted Experimental Station, Report for 1972 , Part 2 , 131–159 Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1972p2-131-159
1958
- - Mann, H. H. and Boyd, D. A. (1958) "Some results of an experiment to compare ley and arable rotations at Woburn", The Journal of Agricultural Science, 50, 297–306 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S002185960003149X
