Response of three cereal crops in continuous arable or ley‐arable rotations to fertilizer nitrogen and soil nitrogen at Rothamsted's Woburn Ley‐arable experiment

Rothamsted's Woburn Ley-arable experiment, started in 1938 on a sandy loam soil, provides valuable real-world data the effects of all-arable and ley-arable rotations. In this study, six rotations were compared from 1973 to 2001. Two had 3-year arable “treatment” crops, two leys, 8-year leys; leys being all-grass given fertilizer nitrogen (Ln3 Ln8), or grass/clover (Lc3 Lc8). Here, we present yields test winter wheat (1981–2000) followed by spring barley (1982–1991) rye (1997–2001) each rotations, their response four rates N soil N. From fitted yield/N curves, show that maximum least (7.10 t ha−1) AB rotation, slightly higher, but not significantly so (7.65 following Ln higher (8.12 Lc leys. Significantly less (30 kg was needed achieve Yields second cereal 0.3–0.8 ha−1 than those rotation; these increases statistically significant. However, N, 26–38 ha−1, required yields. There no difference found between type ley. The initial benefit short-lived. If are be introduced into mainly farming systems, they may need subsidized make them financially viable.