A new publication in the European Journal of Agronomy, ‘Why do we make changes to the long-term experiments at Rothamsted?’ summarises how the long-term studies have been adapted over the years to make sure they stay relevant, whilst maintaining their scientific integrity.
The Rothamsted long-term experiments (LTEs) are an important resource that have been used extensively to study the effects of land management, atmospheric pollution and climate change on soil properties, crop yields and botanical composition. Soil and plant samples from the experimental plots have been kept continuously for over 180 years. But whilst the meticulous record keeping and attention to scientific detail have remained constant, the experiments themselves have undergone several changes. This may seem counter-intuitive. A great part of the scientific value of LTEs has been their unchanging nature. However, for these and other LTEs around the world to remain useful, changes are sometimes needed. Changes may be required to ensure the experiment is not compromised e.g. by soil acidification, or to ensure the experiment remains relevant to current agricultural practice e.g. by changes in harvest methods. However, changes should not be made just for the sake of change, or to investigate aspects of management that could be better resolved in a short-term experiment.
This paper gives examples of why certain changes were made to the Rothamsted LTEs, and what the results of those changes have been. It also highlights the value of archiving crop and soil samples for future studies.
