News and Updates


08-02-2024 New dataset: Total Monthly Rainfall at Rothamsted 1853 - 2024 : Monthly, and annual, summary rainfall data from March 1853-December 2023 (145 years).


30-01-2024 New dataset, Woburn Erosion Experiment crop yields : Annual arable crop yields and fertilizer applications for the Woburn Erosion Reference Experiment, 1988-1998.


11-01-2024 New tool: Copy to clipboard and import into RefMan and Endnote : Now, all datasets come with a few tools to assist their proper referencing in your research papers. So, when you download a dataset, please also use the "to RefMan" or "to Endnote" buttons to import the citation, abstract, full authorship, keywords and a lot more to your preferred reference manager software. Let us know what you think! .


08-01-2024 New publication: Why do we make changes to the long-term experiments at Broadbalk? : Very useful paper highlighting the major changes to the Rothamsted Classical and other LTEs, and explaining the reasoning for the changes.


19-12-2023 New dataset: Broadbalk Forage Maize yields published: Annual forage maize (Zea mays) whole-crop yields for each treatment plot of the Broadbalk Experiment, 1997-2017. Updated 30/01/2024 with minor change.


15-12-2023 New dataset: Broadbalk Weed Survey Data 1991-2021 published: Annual weed survey species lists plus total grain yields and cleaned (weed seed free) grain yields.


22-11-2023 New web page area about the Rothamsted Sample Archive published: it's history, how to access the samples, an inventory of the samples, case studies and associated references.


21-11-2023 New dataset: Mean Seasonal Air Temperature and Total Seasonal Rain at Rothamsted 1968-2022. Monthly rainfall and temperature at Rothamsted since 1968, John Addy.


26-10-2023 Presentation (by recorded video) to Korean LTE symposium. 'Making historic data available for future challenges: The Rothamsted Experience'. Glendining, Perryman, Castells and Ostler.


16-10-2023 Woburn long-term liming experiment soil data 1962-1996 data published: soil pH, Olsen P and exchangeable cations.


16-10-2023 Rothamsted long-term liming experiment soil data 1962-1996 data published: soil pH, Olsen P and exchangeable cations.


14-09-2023 Higfield ley-arable Experiment cropping sequence 1949-2023 data published: Rotations, test and treatment crops.


14-09-2023 Fosters ley-arable Experiment cropping sequence 1949-2023 data published: Rotations, test and treatment crops.


14-09-2023 Fosters ley-arable experiment Soil chemical properties data published: SOC, %N, pH, Olsen P, and other soil properties, blocks 1-4, 1948-2014.


28-08-2023 Broadbalk field bean yield components 1968-2022. : Annual field bean (Vicia faba) yields for each treatment plot of the Broadbalk Experiment, with details of all fertilizer and manure applications. 10.23637/rbk1-beanyld6822-01


15-08-2023 Highfield and Fosters ley-arable experiments Supplementary data published: Details of cropping treatments, plot layout and grass/clover seed mixtures for the experiments, 1949-2023.


15-08-2023 Highfield ley-arable experiment Soil chemical properties data published: SOC, %N, pH, Olsen P, and other soil properties, blocks 1-4, 1948-2014.


25-07-2023 Rothmet loss of data: Damage to the cable of the DR60 drain gauge lead to the loss of data from 14-25th July 2023, so no data was recorded. Set at NULL. Repaired on 25/07/2023.


19-06-2023 Wobmet loss of data: A storm at Woburn Farm on 12/06/2023 lead to the loss of power on 18 and 19 June 2023, so no met data was recorded. Met Office data has been subsituted where possible, Crown Copyright Met Office 2023.


14-06-2023 Dataset: Broadbalk annual yields 1968-2022: Annual wheat grain and straw yields, t/ha, from each plot, 1968-2022.


14-06-2023 Dataset: Broadbalk annual yields 1926-1967: Annual wheat grain and straw yields, t/ha, from each plot, 1926-1967.


18-05-2023 Dataset: Broadbalk 10-year mean yields 1852-1967: 10-year mean wheat grain and straw yields, t/ha, from each treatment strip. Data from Garner and Dyke, 1969. 10.23637/rbk1-meanyld5267


03-01-2023 Dataset: Annual Mean Air Temperature at Rothamsted 1878-2022: The figure shows the annual mean air temperature at Rothamsted every year from 1878-2022. It is a new version of previous dataset 1878-2019.


06-03-2023 Woburn long-term liming experiment exchangeable cations re-analysed: Dataset of cations re-analysed by Thomas, Holland and Haefele, to go with paper. Not visible on main website until paper published.


06-03-2023 Rothamsted long-term liming experiment exchangeable cations re-analysed: Dataset of cations re-analysed by Thomas, Holland and Haefele, to go with paper. Not visible on main website until paper published.


16-02-2023 Data access changed to ODA or eRAdata: To simplify data downloads from the website, e-RA now provides two types of access to data. OADs (Open Access Datasets) which do not require a password and give instant access to the data. e-RAdata, password protected, with support from the e-RA curators. This is the way to access the daily Rothamsted, Woburn and Brooms Barn met data, as well as additional LTE not yet available as OADs. OADs are summary data, or complete frictionless format datasets with detailed metadata, machine readable.


14-02-2023 Climate blanket photos: Harpenden resident Judith Mayall has knitted a climate blanket, with a row for every day, with the different colours representing the daily maximum air temperature at Rothamsted, for every day in 2022. She came to Rothamsted met station where our talented photographer Graham took photos of her.


13-02-2023 Experiment details: Broadbalk Key dates : Details of the key dates on Broadbalk 1843-2021, including sowing, harvest, ploughing and FYM and fertilizer N application dates. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/rbk1-keydates-pdf-01


07-11-2022 Twitter profile name changed to 'Rothamsted Long-Term Experiment's: Name changed to increase profile of Twittter account, which has already been tweeting about the LTEs.


17-11-2022 Derived dataset: Park Grass Metaproteome: A dataset produced by Gerry Quinn et al. (Swansea University) and submitted to the ProteomeXchange Repository is now linked to from the e-RA website.


17-11-2022 Dataset: Park Grass Plot Photos: Photos of each sub-plot of Park Grass are now available from e-RA website, with number of species and height of sward (taken before 1st cut in May 2022) .


04-11-2022 New book on data challenges in agricultural research with chapter by e-RA team: The e-RA team have a chapter 'Linking Legacies: Realising the Potential of the Rothamsted Long-Term Agricultural Experiments' in a new book titled "Towards Responsible Plant Data Linkage: Data Challenges for Agricultural Research and Development" Eds. Williamson & Leonelli (2022).


13-10-2022 Experiment plans: Exhaustion Land Experiment plan and fertilizer treatments, Phase III, 1940-1985: Plans and treatment details of the Exhaustion Land, Phase III, updated October 2022.


13-10-2022 Dataset: Exhaustion Land Experiment yields 1940-1975: This FAIR dataset contains the annual spring barley yields with fertilizer N applications and other treatment details.


06-10-2022 Dataset: Exhaustion Land Experiment yields 1902-1939: This FAIR dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of spring barley (t/ha), with treatment details.


05-10-2022 Dataset: Woburn Continuous Barley Experiment yields 1943-1966: This FAIR dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of wheat (t/ha), with treatment details.


05-10-2022 Dataset: Woburn Continuous Barley Experiment yields 1927-1942: This FAIR dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of wheat (t/ha), with treatment details.


05-10-2022 Dataset: Woburn Continuous Wheat Experiment yields 1943-1966: This FAIR dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of wheat (t/ha), with treatment details.


05-10-2022 Dataset: Woburn Continuous Wheat Experiment yields 1927-1942: This FAIR dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of wheat (t/ha), with treatment details.


20-09-2022 Dataset: Broadbalk chalk applications: This Open Access dataset contains details of the routine applications of chalk (lime) to the Broadbalk Wheat Experiment, first applied in 1955.


16-09-2022 Meteorological Stations Serviced: The Rothamsted Research Met Stations have been serviced: Brooms Barn 13th September, Woburn 14th September, Harpenden 14th/15th September.


30-08-2022 Dataset: Exhaustion Land Experiment yields 1856-1901: This FAIR dataset contains the annual yields of wheat and potatoes, with details of the fertilizer, manure and lime treatments.


26-07-2022 Dataset: Woburn Continuous Wheat Experiment yields 1877-1926: This FAIR dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of wheat (t/ha), with details of the fertilizer, manure and lime treatments.


26-07-2022 Dataset: Woburn Continuous Barley Experiment yields 1877-1926: This FAIR dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of barley (t/ha), with details of the fertilizer, manure and lime treatments.


15-07-2022 Dataset: Park Grass Species, Fertilizer and Lime Treatments 2010-2012: This Open Access FAIR dataset contains the yields of hay (t/ha), for both the 1st and 2nd cuts, harvested from Park Grass Hay Experiment since 1965-2018. Details of the fertilizer, lime treatments and harvest dates are also included.


13-06-2022 Experiment details: Woburn Ley-Arable Experiment, 1938-2020. : The management, the issues and problems that arose, and their resolution to maintain the continuity and relevance of the experiment. Johnston et al, 20220.


16-06-2022 Dataset: Park Grass Hay Yields, Fertilizer and Lime Treatments 1903-1964: This Open Access FAIR dataset contains the yields of hay (t/ha), for both the 1st and 2nd cuts, harvested from Park Grass Hay Experiment since 1965-2018. Details of the fertilizer, lime treatments and harvest dates are also included.


09-05-2022 Rothamsted met data : The pyranometer which measures RAD (radiation) and is used to calculate SUN failed the calibration test on 08/09/2021. ECN data was substituted until 06/05/2022 when a new CMP3 pyranometer was installed.


09-05-2022 Updates to Rothamsted met data: New wind mast installed. : A new 10m wind mast was installed at Rothamsted on 21/04/2022. The cup anemometer used to measure WINDSP and the wind vane used to measure WDIR were transferred.


14-03-2022 Woburn Ley-arable experiment test crop yield data now available: Wheat 1st test crop on the WLA experiment yield data available 1976-2018 inclusive, plus details of fertilizer, cropping, etc. Available for download with DOI for citation.


14-03-2022 Highfield bare fallow soil organic matter data now available: Highfield Bare Fallow experiment soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) sub-plot data 1959-2014 available for download with DOI for citation.


10-03-2022 Rothamsted Historical Weather Observations now available: 'Notes' made of daily observations of the weather from 1853 had been trasncribed and entered in to the e-RA database many years ago, but they were 'hidden' and not available to users. As from today these important daily observations are now available from the ROTHMET dataset and are called 'Remarks'.


27-01-2022 Rothamsted met media : Images now provided on the Rothamsted met station Media page.


25-01-2022 Rothamsted met data : The Harpenden datalogger failed at 3am due to power outage. MO data was substituted; Air Temperature, Relative humidity, Bare soil at 10cm, Grass minimum temperature, Soil temperature under grass 30cm, Soil temperature under grass 100cm, Dew point temperature, Vapour pressure.


19-01-2022 Broadbalk wheat experiment Section 1 yields : Broadbalk wheat experiment Section 1 yields and N uptake, 2001-2015. Available as Open Access dataset with DOI for citation.


10-01-2022 Weather summary for 2021: A summary of the weather as recorded at Rothamsted met station during 2020; available as a pdf Monthly and Annual Summary 2021.


19-12-2021 Woburn Ley-arable cropping : Cropping details of the WLA experiment, 1938-2020 with details of the arable and ley rotation sequences in each of the five blocks.


15-12-2021 Dataset: Park Grass Species, Fertilizer and Lime Treatments 1991-2000: The Open Access FAIR dataset contains the proportional biomass of botanical species of Park Grass hay experiment 1991-2000. Details of the fertilizer, lime treatments and harvest dates are also included.


09-12-2021 Dataset: Park Grass Hay Yields, Fertilizer and Lime Treatments 1965-2018: This Open Access FAIR dataset contains the yields of hay (t/ha), for both the 1st and 2nd cuts, harvested from Park Grass Hay Experiment since 1965-2018. Details of the fertilizer, lime treatments and harvest dates are also included.


24-11-2021 Lawes Diaries in eRAdoc added to Harpenden History website: These scanned documents are available from eRAdoc and now highlighted within the Harpenden History website article "The Lost Diaries and Accounts of Sir John Bennet Lawes" http://www.era.rothamsted.ac.uk/eradoc/books/6.


26-10-2021 Broadbalk wheat experiment disease scores : Broadbalk experiment brown foot rot (Fusarium spp) scores and crop yields, 1992-2009. Available as Open Access dataset with DOI for citation.


14-09-2021 Park Grass experiment liming plans, 1856-2021 : Park Grass experiment details of lime or chalk applied since the start of the experiment in 1856. DOI for citation of plans 10.23637/rpg5-LimeTreats-01.


14-09-2021 Woburn met data : The wind vane failed the annual calibation on 08/09/2021. There is currently no data for WDIR, until the vane is repaired or replaced.


14-09-2021 Rothamsted met data : The pyranometer which measures RAD (radiation) and is used to calculate SUN failed the calibration test on 08/09/2021. ECN data was substituted until 06/05/2022 when a new CMP3 pyranometer was installed.


08-07-2021 Highfield Ley Arable Metagenomic Study : Link to metagenomic sequence data from the Rothamsted Highfield experiments, held in the European Nucleotide Archive (Neal et al, 2021).


13-05-2021 Launch of new e-RA website: The new website was launched externally.


20-05-2021, Brooms Barn met data: Loss of communication with the Brooms Barn Met station, 20/05/2021 - 06/07/2021, so data not being added to BROOMET dataset and derived variables not being calculated. Repaired and connection restored 06/07/2021 and missing data, including derived variables, added.


22-03-2021 Broadbalk SOC content 1843-2015 : Updated long-term changes in SOC content (t/ha) of selected treatments of the Broadbalk experiment in the surface soil, with DOI for appropriate citation.


17-03-2021 Broadbalk crop nutrient content : Open Access dataset of Broadbalk wheat nutrient content, 1968-2017 Grain and straw % N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and S. With DOI for appropriate citation.


21-02-2021 Saxmundham Rotation II : Experimental details, consisting of plans, P treatments, crop sequence, fertilizer N applications and soil %SOC, pH and exchangeable K. For 1969-1986, here with DOI for appropriate citation. Saxmundham Rotation II plans.


21-01-2021 Weather summary for 2020: A summary of the weather as recorded at Rothamsted met station during 2020.


25-01-2021 Met station issues: The new datalogger at Woburn was faulty and so was replaced (22/01/2021). Now functioning correctly at temperatures below zero unlike the old one. Ground frosts and Minimum Grass Temperature (18:00 and 09:00) at Woburn and Harpenden on going and adjusted if needed using hourly data. Emergency snow protocol was not carried out at Harpenden and snow left to melt so is a recording of rain for 25/01/2021.


21-01-2021 Weather summary for 2020: A summary of the weather as recorded at Rothamsted met station during 2020.


21-01-2021 Weather 30-year means for 1991-2020: The long-term mean weather data for the previous decade calculated and presented here, with DOI for appropriate citation. This now supercedes the previous set, 1981-2010, calculated ten years ago. Charts of all four sets of data also updated - Mean weather data charts.


21-01-2021 Weather summary for 2020: A summary of the weather as recorded at Rothamsted met station during 2020.


18-12-2020 Rothamsted long-term liming experiment : Experimental details and plans, 1962-1996, here with DOI for appropriate citation. Rothamsted long-term liming treatments and Rothamsted long-term liming plans


18-12-2020 Woburn long-term liming experiment : Experimental details and plans, 1962-1996, here with DOI for appropriate citation. Woburn long-term liming treatments and Woburn long-term liming plans


16-12-2020, Rothamsted met data: The DR40 Drain Gauge at the Rothamsted Met Station did not record drainage 24/9/2020 - 14/12/2020, due to an electrical fault. Please use data from DR20 and DR60 instead.


06-10-2020, Broadbalk fertilizer P treatments: Fertilizer P no longer applied to plots 11, 13 and 14 from autumn 2020, due to high soil reserves. Fertilizer P has not been applied to plots 5-9, 12, 15 and 16 since 2000, due to high soil reserves. This is monitored each year.


30-07-2020 Annual Mean Air Temperature Anomaly at Rothamsted 1878-2019: shows the temperature anomaly in annual mean air temperature relative to the 1878 to 1920 long-term average, which represents the pre-industrial era.


06 and 07-09-2020 Broadbalk 177th harvest: Broadbalk beans harvested 6th September and wheat on the 7th September.


07-09-2020 Woburn met station upgrade: Upgrade of Woburn datalogger and new rain gauges to be installed this week at all sites with annual maintenance by Campbell Scientific. All sites will be running the BUCK equations for calculation of Saturated Vapour Pressure, Vapour Pressure and Dew Point.


02-03-2020 Broadbalk soil data: Broadbalk soil chemical properties measured from 2013-2017 are now available. Data includes soil %N, %SOC, pH, Olsen P and exchangeable cations. Please contact the e-RA curators to access the data.


13-02-2020 Open Access Annual Mean Air Temperature at Rothamsted v2 1878-2019: The mean annual air temperature (v2 1878- 2019) is provided with 5 year means and 11-year moving average. This supercedes version 1 which provided data up to 2013 (v1 1878-2013).


03-02-2020 Background information added to the Long-term Liming experiments: Details of different treatments applied, amounts and dates of lime, amounts and types of fertilizer N, P, K and Mg, and cropping details for the long-term liming experiments at Rothamsted and Woburn, 1962-1996, were added to the website.


30-01-2020 Weather extremes at Rothamsted updated and decade summaries added: Extreme weather events recorded at Rothamsted since records began have been updated to end of 2019, including a new section on mean decade temperatures.


30-01-2020 Weather summary for 2019: A summary of the weather as recorded at Rothamsted met station during 2019.


16-01-2020 Broadbalk experiment wheat and oats crop nutrient data : Winter wheat grain and straw nutrient data, 2014-2017 added to dataset BKWHNUTRI. WInter oats grain and straw nutrient data, 2014-2017 added to dataset BKOATNUTRI.


10-01-2020 Broadbalk experiment winter bean yield data 2018: Winter bean (Vicia faba ) yields and thousand grain weights for 2018 now available from e-RA, added to dataset BKBEANS, which also contains spring bean yields from 1968-1978. In 2018 a new rotation of wheat > wheat > oats > wheat > winter beans was introduced on the rotational sections of Broadbalk.


06-01-2020 Woburn Erosion Reference Experiment: Details and Key References of The Woburn Erosion Experiment are now available from the section on 'Other Long-term experiments'. This consisted of eight plots on the sandy soil at Woburn, with collector tanks for measuring water and sediment after erosion events. 1988-1998 inclusive.


11-12-2019 Broadbalk 2016 & 2017 forage maize nutrient data now available: Crop nutrient data (% N, P K, Ca, Mg, Na and S) for forage maize on Broadbalk rotation sections, for 2016 and 2017 available in dataset BKMAIZNUTRI. This is the last year of data for forage maize, which was replaced with winter beans in the rotation in 2018.


05-12-2019 Broadbalk 2016 Take-all data now available: Take-all rating for Broadbalk 2016 wheat - 1st, 2nd and 3rd wheats, and continuous wheat, Sction 9, in dataset BKDISEASE.


02-12-2019 Broadbalk 2018 grain quality data now available: wheat grain quality - hectolitre weight, thousand grain weight, Hagberg falling number and grain size data - now available for selected Sections, in dataset BKGR_QUALITY. Also, minor change to 2001 data: Previous crop for Sections 4 and 7 changed from Fallow to Maize


01-11-2019 Long-term experiments displayed in St Albans Museum exhibition: An exhibition celebrating scientists in the St Albans area, including Ronald Fisher, Sir John Lawes, the long-term experiments and graph available from the e-RA website. 19th October 2019 - 15th March 2020 at St Albans Museum, Hertfordshire.


17-10-2019 Rothamsted 30-year mean meteorological data 1981-2010 : This dataset consists of the 30-year monthly mean meteorological data measured at Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK, from January 1981 until December 2010, and is derived from daily measurements taken at the site. This dataset continues the 1971-2000 dataset and the 1961-1991 dataset. This is available to download as an Open Access Dataset, with a citable DOI.


16-10-2019 Frequency of Cirsium arvense on Broadbalk Section 8 1991-2018: This dataset consists of the relative frequencies of Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle) of the Family Asteraceae recorded on Section 8 plots of the Broadbalk Wheat Experiment, 1991-2018. This is available to download as an Open Access Dataset, with a citable DOI.


11-09-2019 Data for use as an agricultural dataset for statictical tests: Numbers of nematode eelworms in soil, and yields of grain/straw/weeds before and after fumigant treatments 1935 and 1936 are now available to download as an Open Access Dataset, with a citable DOI. This data originates form the Rothamsted Annual Reports for 1935 and 1936.


03-09-2019 Saxmundham monthly meteorological data: Monthly summaries of met data at Saxmundham Experimental Station, 1966-1985 are now available to download as an Open Access Dataset, with a citable DOI. Data includes rainfall, temperature, wind speed, radiation and evapotranspiration.


21-08-2019 Broadbalk soil data: Full details of the Broadbalk soil chemical properties measured from 1865-2012 are now available on the e-RA website. This includes details of soil sampling, methods of chemical analysis, further information and key references, as well as a comprehensive list of the data available. Data includes soil %N, %SOC, pH, Olsen P and exchangeable cations. Please contact the e-RA curators to access the data.


24-07-2019 Rothamsted met data: There was a disruption to Rothamsted met data availability 20 June - 22 July 2019. This was due to the weather station undergoing an upgrade and annual maintenance. Some data was not available for this time, including rainfall and sunhours. All data is now available, except for some from RAINL and the drain gauges (DR20, DR40 and DR60) which was lost and can not be subsituted from other sources.


10-06-2019 Park Grass 2018 yield data now available: Cut 1 and Cut 2 yield and % dry matter data for 2018 now available in dataset PGHAYEQUIV.


03-06-2019 Park Grass Mass Effects Survey data now available: This is a survey of plant diversity on Park Grass carried out by Kunin (1998) in 1993 and 1994. Available in dataset PKMASSEFF.


08-05-2019 Extreme weather events at Rothamsted: This provides details of highest and lowest temperature, rainfall and sunshine recorded at Rothamsted, England. Data for days, months and years, since records began.


01-05-2019 Soil fumigation experiment 1935 & 1936; Statistical datasets: This is data and metadata for experiments carried out on Pastures Spring Oats at Rothamsted 1935 and 1936. This was an investigation into the numbers of eelworms in soil before and after fumigant treatments.This data is as used in the agricultural dataset suite, agridat. These datasets were compiled as complete sets for statistical analysis and have DOIs for direct citation.


11-04-2019 Broadbalk 2018 oats yield data now available: oats grain and straw yields and grain quality data now available for 2018, in dataset BKOATS. Weight of straw sample taken for % dry matter analysis has been corrected for all BKOATS data 2012-2017. This has not changed the straw %DM or yield data in e-RA. Straw sample weight is not currently visible to e-RA users, but if you would like this information, please contact the e-RA Curators.


07-03-2019 Mean monthly rainfall at Rothamsted, V2 March 1853-December 2018: Mean monthly rainfall is downloadable as an excel spreadsheet and CSV file. This dataset has a DOI for direct citation. This is updated data, Version 2, to end of year 2018. Version 1 went to July 2018.


06-03-2019 Broadbalk winter wheat 2018 yield data now available: winter wheat grain and straw yields now available for 2018, in dataset BKYIELD_R85.


21-02-2019 Hoosfield spring barley 2018 yield data now available: spring barley grain and straw yields and grain quality data now available for 2018, in dataset HOOSYIELD5.


16-01-2019: Update to the e-RA Data Extraction Tool: The update solves an issue we had with the values calculated after extraction of Met Data and the consistency in displaying the RAD(calc) value across all the weather datasets (BROOMET, ROTHMET, and WOBMET). When extracting data from these datasets, the DET provides an option to calculate derived variables, one of which is RAD, radiation. b>RAD is measured in the three weather stations, but when it is missing for technical reasons, the �calculating tool� derives it from SUN hours. The column RAD(calc) shows the value used in the calculations of the other derived variables (evaporation for example). It can be either RAD measured or RAD derived from SUN hours. The latter is now displayed in a red font to make it clear that this value is calculated from SUN hours. The value of RAD is converted to MJ/m2 in the following calculations from SUN hours, however, the value of RAD(calc) is displayed in the same unit as the value of RAD obtained from the dataset, which can be MJ/m2 for BROOMET and WOBMET, or J/m2 for ROTHMET.


10-01-2019 'Memoranda' 1862-1881 now available from eRAdoc: The Rothamsted 'Memoranda' published between 1862 and 1881, contain details and plans of the Rothamsted Long-term experiments. These are now accessible from eRAdoc, the electronic Rothamsted Documents Archive. Go to 'Collections' and select 'Yields of the Long Term Experiments'.


08-01-2019 Broadbalk 2017 grain quality data now available: wheat grain quality - hectolitre weight, thousand grain weight, Hagberg falling number and grain size data - now available for selected Sections, in dataset BKGR_QUALITY


03-01-2019 Broadbalk 2017 oats yield data now available: oats grain and straw yields and grain quality data now available for 2017, in dataset BKOATS.


18-12-2018 Exhaustion Land yields and crop and soil P data, 1974-2008: Grain and straw yields (spring barley and winter wheat) and various crop and soil phosphate data is available as an Open Access dataset. The data is downloadable as an excel spreadsheet, and has a DOI for direct citation.


18-12-2018 Broadbalk yield data, 1852-1918 as used in paper by Fisher (1921): Annual wheat yield data in bushels/acre from selected treatments on the Broadbalk Wheat Experiment as used in the paper by R.A. Fisher 'Studies in Crop Variation' is downloadable as an excel spreadsheet. This dataset has a DOI for direct citation.


18-12-2018 Long-term changes in soil % N on Broadbalk, 1843-2010: Soil total %N data from selected treatments on the Continuous wheat sections of Broadbalk is available as an Open Access dataset. The datat is downloadable as an excel spreadsheet. This dataset has a DOI for direct citation.


12-12-2018 Rothamsted weather station recognised in Met Office News as a 'Centennial Station': The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has officially designated Rothamsted, and five other Met Office observing sites across the UK, as ‘Centennial Stations’. They join a global network of sites that have been recognised by the WMO for recording reliable observations for over 100 years. Rothamsted presently has daily rainfall data for 165 years. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/barometer/features/using-our-memory-of-the-weather


10-12-2018 Hoosfield spring barley 2017 yield data now available: spring barley grain and straw yields and grain quality data now available for 2017, in dataset HOOSYIELD5.


29-11-2018 Broadbalk weed data 2017 and 2018 now available: BKWEEDS_SUM shows the summary data of total annual frequencies, BKWEEDS_PLOT shows individual plot data.


24-10-2018 Broadbalk earthworm data: Earthworm populations were assessed on Broadbalk in 1920-21, 1979, 2014 and 2015. Details are given with links to the summary data.


10-10-2018 Changes in soil organic carbon on Rothamsted ley-arable 1948-2008: Soil organic carbon data (tonnes per hectare) is now downloadable as an excel spreadsheet and CSV file. This dataset has a DOI for direct citation.


28-08-2018 Mean monthly rainfall at Rothamsted, March 1853-July 2018: Mean monthly rainfall is now downloadable as an excel spreadsheet and CSV file. This dataset has a DOI for direct citation. Please contact the e-RA Curators for more details.


13-08-2018 Correction to ROTHMET RAIN measurements before 2004: Since April 2004 RAIN at Rothamsted (ROTHMET) has been measured with an ARG100 automatic tipping bucket. This has been found to capture 10% more rainfall than the manual 5 inch cyclindrical guage used previously. A double mass curve analysis of annual data from 1990-2017 gave an overall correction factor of 10%. We recommend that when data is downloaded that spans both gauges, the 5 inch gauge data is multiplied by 1.1, to make it comparable with data from the ARG100. This correction only applies to monthly or annual totals, and to the variable RAIN at Rothamsted. Please contact the e-RA Curators for more details.


01-07-2018 Position of the Brooms Barn met station and wind measurements: The Brooms Barn meteorological station is approx. 30m from the main buildings, which are approx. 10m high. Tony Scott has reported that this may cause some interference with the measurement of wind speed and wind direction, as ideally a mast with wind sensors should be a minimum of 10 times the height of the nearest building away from the nearest building (ie at least 100m apart). This gives enough fetch for the wind to settle down. The met station and main building have always been in these positions. Please contact the e-RA Curators for more details.


22-06-2018 to 24-06-2018 The Rothamsted Festival of Ideas: The LTE and e-RA were exhibited in the Rothamsted Festival of Ideas; https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/175 This included a yields challenge, a uses of long-term experiments guessing game and weather data for the public, including certificates.


21-06-2018 New weather dataset for the public: A new dataset was created for use at the Festival of Ideas - 'publicdaymet' - and uploaded to the e-RA database.It consists of 100 years of basic weather data. A username and password are provided http://www.era.rothamsted.ac.uk/Met/schools.


14-06-2018 Global map of institute users of e-RA: The e-RA database is used worldwide and a map was created using Google Maps to show the distribution of institutes http://www.era.rothamsted.ac.uk/studies


21-05-2018 to 23-05-2018 The long-term experiments conference: The e-RA database was exhibited in the the 175 year long-term experiments conference held at Rothamsted and this included a new eRAdoc poster https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/events/future-long-term-experiments-agricultural-science


18-05-2018 New updated Guide Book to the Rothamsted LTE: Revised, with contributions from e-RA curators, and reprinted May 2018 -The Rothamsted Guide to the Long-term Experiments available in e-RADoc http://www.era.rothamsted.ac.uk/eradoc/book/248


15-05-2018 e-RA paper published: "The electronic Rothamsted Archive (e-RA), an online resource for data from the Rothamsted long-term experiments " by Perryman et al, 2018 is today published online in the Scientific Data journal collection of articles on �open research data resources�. It is also the cover article of the journal for the next two weeks. See also press release.


30-04-2018 Brooms Barn met station working again: The power failure suffered on 17/04/2018 meant that no meteorological data was collected at Brooms Barn from 18/04-25/04/2018, except for 19/04 when power was temporarily restored. Data for TMAX, TMIN, RAIN, RELH, DRYB, S10T and G30T have been provided by the Met Office Met Station at Brooms Barn, except for 19/04. Data for other variables is missing and will not be added.


19-04-2018 Brooms Barn met station currently down: Due to a loss of power at Brooms Barn weather station (the mains adaptor for recharging the 12v lead acid batteries was not working) we are unable to collect data. An engineer has been arranged but they will not be able to attend Brooms Barn until 25/04/2018. In the meantime daily data (not all variables) will be provided by the Met Office. For those who rely on PSMD the wind variables and sun hours will come from the Woburn weather station.


17-04-2018 Broadbalk wheat 2017 yield data now available: Wheat grain and straw yields on Broadbalk available for 2017, in dataset BKYIELD_R85.


08-03-2018 Open Access pages updated and provided with DOIs: Prepared summaries of commonly requested data, 'Open Access Datasets', are now published with DOIs. Users are free to use and redistribute the material but must give appropriate credit and provide a link to the licence. An overview page provides links to all individual datasets.


07-03-2018 Park Grass 2017 yields: Park Grass Cut 1 and Cut 2 2017 yield data now available, in dataset PGHAYEQUIV.


07-03-2018 Correction to Park Grass 2016 cut 2 yields: An error in was discovered in the Park Grass 2nd cut data for 2016, loaded to e-RA on 17th August 2017. This has been corrected today. 2nd cut yields are around 10% higher, however, this varies from plot to plot. The 1st cut yields are not changed. For more details, please contact the e-RA curators.


19-02-2018 Dataset previews added: 18 previews of data available from the e-RA data extraction tool added. These include yields, weed surveys and crop nutrient data, and met data from the three sites.


14-02-2018 Broadbalk Forage Maize yield data: Yield data updated for 2009 - 2017, now in new dataset BKFMAIZE. Error in calcualation of yields for 2009-2016 in old dataset BKMAIZE, which is no longer available. New dataset included more background information (sowing and harvest date, variety, and fertilizer treatment). Forage maize was last grown on Broadbalk in 2017. Replaced with a new rotation in 2018 of wheat>wheat>oats>wheat>beans.


17-01-2018 New details added to Other long-term experiments: Background information on the Woburn Intensive Cereals experiments, also known as the Woburn Continuous Wheat and Barley Experiments, at Stackyard Field, Woburn, were added to the website.


28-11-2017 e-RA poster presented at AAB Conference: A new e-RA poster, 'Communicating Data from the Long-term Experiments', was presented at the AAB Sustainable Intensification Conference 28th November 2017.


28-11-2017 All Rothamsted Guides now available from e-RA: The Guides to the Rothamsted Classical experiments published periodically from 1906 to 2006 are now available as scanned documents in eRAdoc, with a link from the e-RA bibliography. They also have DOIs so can be cited. Enter 'Rothamsted' in 'Search Author' in Bibliography


07-11-2017 Park Grass 1977/78 insect survey data available: Leafhopper (Auchenorhyncha) surveys on 13 Park Grass plots sampled five time in the summers of 1977 and 1978, as described by Morris, 1992 now available. See dataset PARKINSECTS


25-10-2017 e-RA Curator presented at SciData17: Slides on metadata challenges for Broadbalk long-term experiment presented at Springer Nature SCIDATA17


21-09-2017 New Data Extraction Tool Release for Derived Met Data: Ready calculated derived vairables are now avilable directly from the e-RA Data Extraction Tool.


17-08-2017 Broadbalk grain quality 2015-2016 : Broadbalk wheat grain quality data (TGW, Hagberg Falling Numbers, etc) added for 2015 and 2016. See Dataset BKGR_QUALITY.


17-08-2017 Broadbalk oats crop nutrient data 2014-2015 added : Broadbalk oats grain and straw % N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and S data added for 2014 and 2015.


15-08-2017 Hoosfield 2016 TGW: Hoosfield spring barley experiment, TGWs (thousand grain weights) added for 2016. Dataset HOOSYIELD5.


14-08-2017 Park Grass 2016 yield data available : Park Grass 2016 yield data, cuts 1 and 2, is now available from dataset PGHAYEQUIV. Go to 'Extract Data'.


08-08-2017 DOIs added for Highfield experiments : The first DOIs have been minted by Rothamsted for the LTEs. The experiments are Highfield Ley Arable, Highfield Bare Fallow and Highfield Conversion. THey can be viewed on DataCite and resolve to the e-RA website. We hope that many more will follow!


13-07-2017 Hoosfield yield data 2016 added : Hoosfield spring barley grain and straw yields and Hectolitre weights added for 2016. Dataset HOOSYIELD5.


27-06-2017 Broadbalk oats grain quality data 2015-2016 added : Broadbalk oats TGW and hectolitre weights added for 2015 and 2016. Dataset BKOATS.


26-06-2017 Hoosfield 2012-2015 TGW: Hoosfield spring barley experiment, TGWs (thousand grain weights) added for 2012 - 2015. Dataset HOOSYIELD5.


19-06-2017 Updated Hoosfield mean yield figure: Hoosfield spring barley mean yield figure updated from 2011 to 2015. 2016 data is not included, as there was a change to a new variety in 2016 (from Tipple to Irina). This is an Open Access dataset, freely available to download without a password.


19-06-2017 Updated Broadbalk mean yield figure: Broadbalk winter wheat mean yield figure updated to include 2016 yield data (Crusoe). 2015 data is not included in the Crusoe 2013-16 mean, as the spring wheat Mulika was sown, due to a very wet autumn which prevented sowing the usual winter wheat. This is an Open Access dataset, freely available to download without a password.


08-06-2017 Corrected Woburn met data: Woburn met data 10/8/2011-15/12/2011 corrected due to a time issue found with the raw data. Please contact the e-RA curators for more details. Refers to dataset Wobmet.


18-05-2017 Monthly met data updates: Now available, Rothamsted monthly met data updates, since January 2007.


04-05-2017 Bibliography Links: Now all the papers in the bibliography resource have links to digital content! If we have digitised the contents, there is a link to that paper in eRAdoc; if we have found the DOI, or a URL for the digitised paper, there is a link to it. For all other cases, the Google Scholar link will take you to what Google can find, and most of the time, it's just right!.


03-05-2017 Long-term Liming experiment : Further background information on the Long-term Liming experiments at Rothamsted and Woburn added to the Other Long Term Experiments section (the experiments ran from 1962 to 1997).


27-04-2017 Broadbalk crop yields 2016 . Broadbalk winter wheat, winter oats and forage maize yields, 2016 now available. See Datasets BKYIELD_R85 (wheat), BKOATS and BKMAIZE.


18-04-2017 Park Grass experiment harvesting methods: Information added on Park Grass harvesting methods, including details of correction factor for change in harvest method in 1960.


03-04-2017 Woburn Ley-Arable experiment data . Selected data from the Woburn Ley-Arable experiment is now available from e-RA. Follow link for data from Johnston et al (2017) paper


27-03-2017 Woburn Met data Aug 2012 . Errors were found in the Woburn Meteorological data 09/08/2012 - 16/08/2012, for most variables. This has now been corrected in e-RA (see Dataset WOBMET).


17-01-2017 Alternate wheat and fallow 2015 . Wheat yield for harvest year 2015 now available from e-RA (see Dataset FALWHEAT).


17-01-2017 Hoosfield crop nutrient data 2000-2010 . Hoosfield spring barley grain and straw nutrient data, 2000 - 2010 now available. This consists of %N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and S, for all the Main plots (see Dataset HFNUTRIMAIN).


04-01-2017 Broadbalk maize and oats 2015 . Maize total dry matter yields and oat grain and straw yields for harvest year 2015 are now available from e-RA (see Datasets BKMAIZE and BKOATS).


14-12-2016 Hoosfield spring barley 2015. These yields for harvest year 2015 are now available from e-RA (see Dataset HOOSYIELD5).


07-12-2016 Updates to Met Data derived variables: Key references which have been used to calculate intermediate derived variables (VAP, RELH, DEWP etc), which are then used to calculate PSMD, EVAPG and EVAPW have been added to the website. Please refer to the e-RA curators for more information.


21-11-2016 Sun hour data for Brooms Barn, 2013-2016: Sun hours is calculated in the datalogger, based on the Campbell-Stokes equation. A small error has been found in the calculation between Jan 1st and June 28th, for 2013-2016 inclusive. The calculation is correct from June 29th � Dec 31st each year. This calculation has now been corrected, so that data from 1st Jan 2017 onwards will be correct. However, we have not changed the sun hour data for 2013-2016. Please refer to the e-RA curators for more information.


24-08-2016 Brooms Barn met data: There were problems with the Brooms Barn datalogger, 15-22 Aug 2016. This has now been rectified. Missing values for RAIN, TMAX, TMIN, GRSMIN, RELH, DRYB, S10T and E30T were all supplied by the Met Office. Other variables are not available for this period.


22-08-2016 Broadbalk Open Access Soil Olsen P: Broadbalk soils Olsen P data for selected plots now available as Open Access chart and associated data as Excel spreadsheet, with background information on the treatments and trends observed.


15-08-2016 Broadbalk 2015 wheat yields now available from e-RA. Please note that in 2015 the spring wheat variety Mulika was sown, as it was too late to sow a winter wheat variety.


12-08-2016 Long-term Liming experiment: Background information and key references on the Long-term Liming experiments at Rothamsted and Woburn added to the Other Long Term Experiments section (the experiments ran from 1962 to 1997).


08-08-2016 Park Grass Open Access Soils pH : Park Grass Soils pH Open Access chart and associated data as Excel spreadsheet released on website, with background information on the treatments and trends observed.


05-08-2016 Woburn met data: The Woburn Met Station Datalogger has now been replaced and is recording the data. The Pyranometer which records solar radiation and sun hours has been replaced. The data is now being loaded into e-RA. Missing data for Woburn met data in e-RA from June 7th- July 20th 16th, 2016 has now been entered from the Met Office.


12-07-2016 Park Grass Soils page: Park Grass Soils page added to website, with background information on the site (location details) and soil (type, texture, and sampling methods).


30-06-2016 Broadbalk crop nutrient data 2012-2013: Broadbalk crop nutrient data for wheat grain and straw, oat grain and straw and whole crop maize at harvest for 2012 & 2013 now available from e-RA (see Datasets BKWHNUTRI, BKOATNUTRI and BKMAIZNUTRI).


27-06-2016 Woburn met data: The Woburn Met Station Datalogger has now been replaced and is recording the data. However, the Cup Anemometer which records Wind Speed is not currently working. This will not be replaced until early August. All the other met data is being recorded, but we are currently unable to communicate with the datalogger, so the data is not being loaded into e-RA. We will correct this as soon as possible, and then up load the missing data. Currently there is no Woburn met data in e-RA after June 7th. 13-06-2016 Woburn met data: Following storms last Tuesday (7th June) we lost communication with the Woburn Met Station. The storm actually took out the BT phone lines with a power surge over the system causing considerable damage to phones and modems at Woburn Farm. Unfortunately this power surge has caused damage to the Woburn datalogger. Because of this we are unable to collect weather data at Woburn. We hope that a new datalogger will be installed at the end of this week. Currently all the Woburn met data after June 7th 2016 is missing.


28-04-2016 Exhaustion Land web page: Background information, treatment details and plans from the Exhaustion Land experiment, started in 1856, are now available from e-RA, along with Key References.


22-03-2016 Park Grass yields 2015: Yields for 2015 for Park Grass now available from e-RA (see Dataset PGHAYEQUIV).


17-03-2016 Other Long-term experiments: Information on the design, history and strengths of the four other 'classical' experiments and 12 other long-term experiments at Rothamsted and Woburn is now available from e-RA, along with Key References for each experiment.


14-03-2016 Correction to Woburn radiation data: Woburn radiation data for 1/12/1998 - 28/6/1999 was incorrectly shown as 0.0. This was corrected to missing data (NULL) on 14/3/2016 in dataset WOBMET.


10-03-2016 North Wyke Farm Platform: We are pleased to announce that the North Wyke Farm Platform data is now directly available from the North Wyke Farm Platform Data Portal, hosted at North Wyke. Go to Farmplatform for further information. This data is no longer held in e-RA.


18-02-2016 Park Grass yields 2014: Yields for 2014 for Park Grass now available from e-RA (see Dataset PGHAYEQUIV).


18-02-2016 Broadbalk mean long-term grain yield Open Access data: Data added from change of cultivar to Crusoe (2013) to Broadbalk yield figure. Available as an Open Access dataset from e-RA.


17-02-2016 Park Grass Open Access Species data: Changes in the number of species from selected treatments on the Park Grass experiment are available as an Open Access dataset from e-RA. This has recently been updated. Changes in species number reflect the changes in treatments, sward management and atmospheric nitrogen inputs.


25-01-2016 Broadbalk wheat grain quality 2014: Grain quality for 2014 for Broadbalk wheat Experiment now available from e-RA (see Dataset BKGR_QUALITY).


20-01-2016 Wheat and Fallow 2014: Grain and straw yields for 2014 for the Alternate Wheat and Fallow Experiment now available from e-RA (see Dataset FALWHEAT).


22-12-2015 Broadbalk Oats 2013 and 2014 and Maize 2014: Grain and straw yields and grain quality for 2013 and 2014 for Broadbalk oats now available from e-RA, also Broadbalk maize whole crop yields for 2014 (see Datasets BKOATS and BKMAIZE).


03-12-2015 Grassland biodiversity recovers: A study published in the journal Nature shows that grassland diversity on the Park Grass experiment recovers once atmospheric nitrogen pollution reduces. See Biodiversity bounces back .


05-11-2015 Broadbalk grain quality : Broadbalk wheat grain quality data is now available from e-RA for 1974-2013, from selected plots. This consists of thousand grain weight (TGW) since 1974, Hagberg Falling Number, Hectolitre weight (WLWT) and grain size classes since 1999. See Broadbalk Grain Quality Data for more details.


24-06-2015 Broadbalk crop nutrient data : Broadbalk crop nutrient content data is now available from e-RA for 1968-2011. This consists of wheat (grain and straw), oats (grain and straw), maize (whole crop), potatoes (tubers) and field beans (grain and straw). %N, %P, %K, %Ca, %Mg, %Na and %S are available for selected sections and years. See Broadbalk Crop Nutrient Content for more details.


02-06-2015 Hoosfield 2014 Yield Data : 2014 Hoosfield spring barley yield data now available from e-RA.


13-05-2015 Hoosfield Yield Open Access Data : Hoosfield mean grain yield, 1852 to 2011 now available from e-RA as an Open Access dataset.


16-02-2015 Broadbalk and Geescroft Wilderness Open Access Data : data on the accumulation of organic carbon in soil and tree biomass at the Broadbalk and Geescroft Wilderness experiments is now available from e-RA.


13-01-2015 Broadbalk 2014 Yield Data : 2014 Broadbalk wheat yield data now available from e-RA.


17-11-2014 UKSO: AGI Awards for Geospatial Excellence : Soil carbon data from the Rothamsted long-term experiments is part of The UK Soils Observatory, which has won the Association of Geographical Information Award for Geospatial Excellence in the category "Excellence with Impact". The judges described it as � An ambitious project with huge potential as a spatial research resource for a range of fields including agriculture and geotechnical engineering� .


04-11-2014 Broadbalk Weeds Data : 2014 weed survey data now available from e-RA.


09-10-2014 Yield Data : 2013 yields now available from e-RA.


09-10-2014 Open Access Data : Annual mean Rothamsted Temperature data available from e-RA.


20-06-2014 200th Anniversary Timeline: celebrating the birth of John Bennet Lawes, founder of Rothamsted.


04-06-2014 Open Access Data : Broadbalk soil organic carbon data now available from e-RA.


24-02-2014 Rothmet update : Updates to Rothmet met data now available from e-RA (Relative humidity, wet bulb, vapour pressure and dew point).


20-02-2014 Broadbalk soil weights : Updated Broadbalk standard soil weights available from e-RA.


05-02-2014 Broadbalk Weeds Data : Broadbalk weed species survey data now available from e-RA.


01-10-2013 North Wyke Farm Platform Data : North Wyke Farm Platform data now available from e-RA.


01-08-2013 Open Access Data: Hoosfield soil organic carbon data now available from e-RA.


30-05-2013 Open Access Data : Park Grass species data now available from e-RA.


14-05-2013 Release Note DET Version 2.1 : Announcing the public release of the new Data Extraction Tool.


21-03-2013 Long-Term Research - Slow Science : Nature features our LTEs "The world's longest-running experiments remind us that science is a marathon, not a sprint".


14-02-2013 Open Access Data: Key Broadbalk mean yield data now available from e-RA.


09-11-2012 Broadbalk in Royal Society Speech : The RT Hon George Osborne MP referred to Rothamsted’s Broadbalk Experiment at Rothamsted in a speech to the Royal Society.


21-09-2012 Rothamsted Scientists Study 170 Year Old Potatoes BBC News : Scientists study 170-year-old potatoes using data from Rothamsted's long-term experiment archives.  

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