Dataset: Woburn Erosion Reference Experiment crop yields.

Citation:  Margaret Glendining, Richard Ostler, John Quinton, Kevin Coleman (2024). Dataset: Woburn Erosion Reference Experiment crop yields. Electronic Rothamsted Archive, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK DOI : https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn20-yield-01.
to RefMan to EndNote

Standardised plan of the experiment

Standardised plan of the experiment

Summary

Annual arable crop yields for each plot of the Woburn Erosion Reference Experiment, 1988-1998. Also potato % ware, sugar beet % sugar, and other sugar beet yield components. Also annual fertilizer applications. There were eight plots, in a 2x2 factorial, with two blocks. Treatments were two directions of cultivation (cultivated and drilled parallel to the contour v up and down the slope) and two types of cultivation (standard cultivation, residue removed v minimal tillage, residues retained). All plots grew the same crops each year, in a rotation typical of the sandy soils of Bedfordshire.

Methods

The experiment was situated on a sandy soil at Woburn Experimental Farm (Great Hill II/III) on a slope of about five degrees (7-13%), which had been subject to periodic erosion since at least 1950. The eight plots were approximately 24 x 36m (0.086 ha), separated by grassed earth banks 1m wide and 30cm high which prevented runoff and eroded soil leaving the plots. The eroded soil and runoff were collected in tanks at the end of each plot after each erosion event. Four plots were cultivated and drilled parallel to the contour, and four up and down the slope. Four plots received standard cultivations and four minimal tillage. Crops included potatoes, winter wheat, sugar beet and winter barley.

Technical Information

Cereal grain and straw yield (winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley) at 85% dry matter. Yield of clean potato tubers at fresh weight, yield of clean sugar beet and fodder beet at fresh weight. Other information about yield components is given in the excel worksheet fields_metadata. Applications of fertilizer and pesticide were according to Standard Farm Practice for each crop.

Related Documents

Contributors

  • Margaret Glendining: Data curator
  • Nathalie Castells: Data manager
  • Richard Ostler: Project leader
  • Kevin Coleman: Project member
  • John Quinton: Data collector

Dataset Access and Conditions

Rights Holder

Rothamsted Research

License

Creative Commons License This dataset is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (4.0).

Cite this Dataset

YOU MUST CITE AS: Margaret Glendining, Richard Ostler, John Quinton, Kevin Coleman (2024). Dataset: Woburn Erosion Reference Experiment crop yields. Electronic Rothamsted Archive, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK https://doi.org/10.23637/wrn20-yield-01

Please review our How to Credit Datasets guidance for more information.

Conditions of Use

Rothamsted relies on the integrity of users to ensure that datasets are used appropriately and Rothamsted Research receives suitable acknowledgment as being the originators of these data. Please review the Conditions of Use before downloading.

Table Of Contents

An Excel file, 01-wrn20yield.xlsx, contains the yield components and treatment details, for 1988-1998. Frictionless CSV files are provided for users who prefer CSV over Excel files. A README file contains extensive metadata information.

Individual plot yields were taken from Genstat files and other information from plans in the Rothamsted Library archives. Background information was also taken from Quinton and Catt, 2004.

In accordance with the Joint Code of Practice for Research at Rothamsted, data processing in e-RA follow rigorous standard operating procedures to ensure the quality and correctness of data collected in the field through to depositing in the e-RA database. To ensure quality control during data inputting, the data sets were typed on two separate occasions (double data entry). During the second typing (verification) the data values were compared with those typed on the earlier occasion, and any discrepancies were resolved before verification continued. This procedure also set out how to handle situations where the written records were illegible or ambiguous. This procedure avoided visual checking of data, which can be very inaccurate. Once the data were entered into e-RA, they were independently back-checked against the original data sheets.

Information on plot soil C and N content, and sediment and water composition from the erosion events is published in other datasets.

  • The dataset Woburn Erosion Reference Experiment crop yields. is a published dataset from the e-RA Database. e-RA is part of the Rothamsted Long-Term Experiments - National Bioscience Research Infrastructure (RLTE-NBRI), which also covers maintenance of the Long-Term Experiments, the Rothamsted 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 funded by UK Research and Innovation - Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UKRI-BBSRC) under award BBS/E/RH/23NB0007 (2023-2028). The RLTE-NBRI is also supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust. e-RA has been part of a National Capability since 2012, previous awards from the BBSRC were Grants BBS/E/C/00005189 (2012-2017) and BBS/E/C/000J0300 (2017-2022)

Additional Funding sources

This project received specific funding from the following sources

  • Rothamsted Research receives strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom. We acknowledge support from the Resilient Farming Futures Institute Strategic Programme
    - BBS/E/RH/230004A (WP1), BBS/E/RH/230004C (WP3)
  • AgZero+ : Towards sustainable, climate-neutral farming is an initiative jointly supported by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
    - BBS/E/C/RP1070414 (WP4)
  • Rothamsted Research receives strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom. We acknowledge support from the Growing Health Institute Strategic Programme
    - BBS/E/RH/230003C (WP3)
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