Summary
This five-year field trial at Rothamsted, UK, compared the effects of anaerobic digestate, compost, farmyard manure, straw, and amendment–straw mixtures on cereal yield and crop nutrient content. Non-straw amendments significantly increased both grain (18%) and straw (28%) yields at baseline rates, with the highest application rate achieving 23% and 37% increases respectively. Importantly, secondary and micronutrient concentrations in grain and straw were maintained or elevated in higher-yielding plots despite biomass increase, suggesting that organic fertilisers can improve both productivity and nutritional quality in intensive arable systems.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK intensive arable farming practice, being conducted at a leading UK research station with locally relevant crops and climate. The results suggest potential for organic amendments to enhance both yield and nutrient density in UK cereal production without the nutrient dilution effect often associated with increased biomass.
Key measures
Grain yield, straw yield, crop nutrient concentrations (P, Ca, S, Fe, K, Zn), amendment application rates (1–3.5 t carbon ha⁻¹)
Outcomes reported
The study measured grain and straw yields, and concentrations of secondary and micronutrients (P, Ca, S, Fe, K, Zn) in crops following five seasons of organic amendment application at different rates. It assessed whether yield increases were accompanied by nutrient dilution or enrichment.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.