Dataset: Broadbalk Wheat Experiment organic manure chemical composition

Details of the chemical composition of the organic manures applied to the Broadbalk Wheat Experiment, 1850-2019. Farmyard manure (FYM) is applied each autumn at 35t/ha to treatment strip 2.1 (also known as 2A or 21) since 1885, to treatment strip 2.2 (also known as 2B or 22) since 1843, and to strip 01 in 1968-2000 only, from cattle housed on cereal straw. Rapeseed cake or castor bean meal was applied to strip 19 until 1988, to supply around 96kgN/ha; it was also applied to other strips 1843-1872. FYM and castor bean meal has been analysed routinely since 1967. This dataset gives details of the chemical composition: % total N, C, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and S, and the total amount of each element applied each year 1967-2019. There is also some limited mean data for earlier periods and trace element data for 1982 and 1983.

The FYM supplies on average 249 kgN/ha, 48 kgP/ha and 326kgK/ha; the rape cake/castor meal 104 kgN/ha, 17 kgP/ha and 19 kgK/ha. For comparison, the standard inorganic fertilizer treatments on Broadbalk receive 0-288 kgN/ha, 35kgP/ha, and 90 kgK/ha.