Dataset: Woburn Continuous Barley Experiment yields 1877-1926

This dataset contains the annual grain and straw yields of the Woburn Continuous Barley experiment, 1877-1926. Also grain %N for most plots and years. Details of the fertilizer, manure and lime treatments are also included. There was a parallel experiment at Woburn testing the same treatments on the yield of continuous winter wheat. This experiment also mirrored the continuous spring barley experiment on the silty clay loam soil at Hoosfield, Rothamsted, started in 1852. The soil at Woburn contained little free calcium carbonate, and soil pH was 6.1 in 1876. Consequently, where ammonium sulphate was applied (plots 2, 5 and 8) the soil soon became acidic and yields declined markedly within 20 years. These were the first experiments in the UK where lime was applied to try to correct soil acidity.