Some results of an experiment to compare ley and arable rotations at Woburn

Mann, Harold H.; Boyd, D. A.

doi:10.1017/s002185960003149x

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Thus Mann & Boyd (1958), who compared the effect of a 3-year lucerne ley, a 3-year grazing ley and all-arable cropping containing 1 -year leys on the yield of potatoes on poor light land, found greater yield after the 3-year leys, but pointed out that this could have been attributed to eel-worm infestation since the arable rotation contained potatoes twice in a five course rotation, or to nutrient effects since the level of basal manuring applied was low throughout the experiment. Lewis, Proctor & Hood (1960) and Hood (1961) compared four sequences, 3-year ley; wheat, 2-year ley; wheat, barley, 1-year ley; and wheat, barley, barley on the yields of kale and of the following wheat crop on land which had carried grass for 3 years before the experiment started and found benefit from all lengths of ley which they ascribed to less breakdown of soil aggregates, less weed growth, a lower incidence of 'take-all' in the case of wheat and greater nitrogen reserves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An experiment had been started before the war at Woburn which tested the effects of 3-year leys (some results of this have now been published by Mann & Boyd, 1958) but there was very little evidence available on which to base cropping advice. An experiment was therefore started at Cambridge to compare the effects of leys of various types on the yield of other crops in a sixcourse rotation on light gravelly soil.…”

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The effect of previous cropping and manuring on the yield of potatoes

1964

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3-year ley).In treatments including 1-year ley, broad red clover was compared with Italian rye-grass, and, in those including 2-and 3-year leys, pure lucerne leys were compared with pure cocksfoot leys and a lucerne/cocksfoot mixture, all the leys being underlst year Superphosphate (19-5% P a O ) (cwt./acre) Muriate of potash (60 % K a O) (cwt./acre) 0 sown in the preceding barley crop. Thus there were nine combinations of cropping sequence and composition of leys and these formed the main treatments of a split-plot design. All leys were compared at two levels of management (M), namely, leys always mown and the produce removed, and leys always grazed by sheep. Defoliation was carried out at the same time, three times each year on all treatments, so that management should cause little difference in botanical composition. Of the allarable plots half were undersown with trefoil in the barley crop immediately preceding the potatoes, and this was ploughed in without cutting or grazing in the autumn; the other half of these plots had no legume ploughed in. Other subtreatments were (a) three levels of nitrogenous manuring (N) applied to all crops as follows:cwt.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

The effect of previous cropping and manuring on the yield of potatoes

1964

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“…(), which relate estimates of below‐ground inputs to above‐ground yields, and with input estimates given by Mattingly (). Yields of the grazed leys from 1938 to 1970 were derived from the number of sheep‐grazing days and occasional yield measurements from which Mann & Boyd () estimated the equivalent fresh yields. Yields of the leys from 1973 to 1983 were estimated from yields measured later.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in soil organic matter over 70 years in continuous arable and ley–arable rotations on a sandy loam soil in England

Johnston

Poulton

Coleman

et al. 2017

European J Soil Science

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The sequestration in soil of organic carbon (SOC) derived from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by replacing arable crops with leys, has been measured over 70 years on a sandy loam soil. The experiment was designed initially to test the effect of leys on the yields of arable crops. A 3‐year grazed grass with clover (grass + clover) ley in a 5‐year rotation with arable crops increased percentage organic carbon (%OC) in the top 25 cm of the soil from 0.98 to 1.23 in 28 years, but with little further increase during the next 40 years with all‐grass leys given fertilizer nitrogen (N). In this second period, OC inputs were balanced by losses, suggesting that about 1.3% OC might be near the equilibrium content for this rotation. Including 3‐year lucerne (Medicago sativa) leys had little effect on %OC over 28 years, but after changing to grass + clover leys, %OC increased to 1.24 during the next 40 years. Eight‐year leys (all grass with N or grass + clover) in 10‐year rotations with arable crops were started in the 1970s, and after three rotations %OC had increased to ca. 1.40 in 2000–2009. Over 70 years, %OC declined from 0.98 to 0.94 in an all‐arable rotation with mainly cereals and to 0.82 with more root crops. Applications of 38 t ha−1 farmyard manure (FYM) every fifth year increased %OC by 0.13% by the mid‐1960s when applications ceased. Soil treated with FYM still contained 0.10% more OC in 2000–2009. Changes in the amount of OC have been modelled with RothC‐26.3 and estimated inputs of C for selected rotations. Little of the OC input during the 70 years has been retained; most was retained in the grazed ley rotation, but 9 t ha−1 only of a total input of 189 t ha−1. In other rotations more than 98% of the total OC input was lost. Despite large losses of C, annual increases in OC of 4‰ are possible on this soil type with the inclusion of grass or grass + clover leys or the application of FYM, but only for a limited period. Such increases in SOC might help to limit increases in atmospheric CO2.Highlights Can leys sequester significant amounts of atmospheric CO 2 in SOM and contribute to the 4‰ initiative?Changes in the percentage and amount of OC were measured and modelled over 70 years and OC losses estimated.Three‐year grass or grass + clover leys increased %OC, but only to an equilibrium level that was then maintained.Despite large losses, sequestering CO 2‐C at 4‰ year−1 by growing grass or grass + clover leys is possible.

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“…Kale appeared to serve partially as a 'cleaning' crop, the incidence of 'take-all' in wheat in the succeeding year seldom being so severe as when the preceding crop was a cereal. Mann & Boyd (1958), 3-year grazed leys, 3 years' lucerne and 1-year seeds hay produced better yields of potatoes and barley compared with an arable cropping sequence. The authors suggest that the better yields which were obtained after leys might well be attributed to differential eelworm damage on potatoes grown too frequently in an arable rotation and to inadequate return of nitrogen and potash where a continuous succession of crops was removed from the land.…”

Section: Years In Ley Due To Organic Manuresmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Although rotations with long or short duration leys alternating with arable cropping have for generations been traditional in certain areas, critical information on the relative effects on crop yields of different leys and arable systems was lacking. The first experiment of this kind was begun at Woburn Experimental Station in 1937; some of the results were recently reported by Mann & Boyd (1958).…”

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A comparison of ley and arable farming systems

Lewis¹,

Procter²,

Hood³

1960

J. Agric. Sci.

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1. Alternate husbandry systems containing 1-, 2- and 3-year grazed leys were compared with continuous arable cropping at Jealott's Hill during the period 1945–56. Kale and wheat were used as successive test crops to measure the fertility accruing from the following crop sequences: (a) 3-year ley; (b) wheat, 2-year ley; (c) wheat, barley, 1-year ley; (d) wheat, barley, barley. A study was also made of the effect on crop yields of compost, dung and N fertilizer dressings applied to kale.2. The yields of kale and wheat were improved considerably by 1-, 2- and 3-year leys. Increments were: 5·2 tons fresh kale per acre and 8·7 cwt. wheat grain per acre from 1-year ley, 9·0 tons kale and 13·5 cwt. wheat per acre from 2-year ley and 9·2 tons kale and 15·0 cwt. wheat per acre from 3-year ley. Two- and 3-year leys were markedly superior to 1-year ley in their effects on kale and wheat. The slight benefit apparent in wheat yields from 3-year ley compared with 2-year ley was not significant and so the 2- and 3-year leys may be considered equal in their effect on the succeeding arable crops. In the third arable crop, wheat, the 2-year ley was still effective to the extent of 3·9 cwt. grain per acre but the residual effect of the 1-year ley had largely disappeared. Yields under the all-arable system were considered to have been reduced by the poor physical and nutrient status of the soil, by increased incidence of ‘take-all’ in wheat and by more weed growth.3. The response of kale to dung averaged only 1·1 tons per acre over all four rotations but this was largely obtained in the ley systems and little after all-arable cropping. Compost was generally ineffective on kale with some signs of detrimental effect, especially in the arable system. Wheat following kale benefited equally from dung and compost applied in the previous year; the average response to organics was 1·6 cwt. grain per acre and this was unaffected by rotation. The residual value of dung on subsequent crops amounted to an average of 2·0 cwt. grain per acre per annum but compost had no significant effect.4. The response to an additional 0·4 cwt. fertilizer N per acre to kale was greatest after continuous arable cropping and virtually nil after 3-year ley. Wheat grain yields were improved by 1·0 cwt. per acre on average by the addition of the extra 0·4 cwt. fertilizer N per acre to kale in the previous year.5. It was concluded that when mixed farming is practised the aim should be to have the land under grass for at least as long as it is under arable, e.g. 3 years of ley with 3 years of arable.

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Some results of an experiment to compare ley and arable rotations at Woburn

Cited by 6 publications

References 1 publication

The effect of previous cropping and manuring on the yield of potatoes

The effect of previous cropping and manuring on the yield of potatoes

Changes in soil organic matter over 70 years in continuous arable and ley–arable rotations on a sandy loam soil in England

A comparison of ley and arable farming systems

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