The North Wyke Farm Platform: Data Portal

摘要

The North Wyke Farm Platform was csrablishcd in 2010 as a UK national capability for collaborative research, training and knowledge exchange in agro-environmental sciences looking at agricultural productivity and ecosystem responses to different management practices for beef and sheep production in lowland grasslands. The Farm Plarform Dara Portal http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/farmplatform provides the ability to preview and download data for specified time periods and has been populated with time series, livestock, field event and field survey data. A systems-based experiment on permanent pasrure was implemented on three 21 ha farmlets in order to obtain baseline data in hydrology, nutrient cycling and productivity for 2 years. Since 2013 two farmlcts were progressively modified in a 3-ycar programme through eirher (1) planned reseeding with grasses which have been bred for high water-soluble carbohydrate or deep rooting traits; or (2) sowing grass and clover-legume mixtures to reduce nitrogen fertiliser inputs. Each farmlet currently supports 30 weaned beef cattle and 75 ewes and their lambs that graze 5 hydrologically-isolated catchments instrumented to measure rainfall, soil moisture/ temperature, water discharge and physical/chemical properties. Inputs of fertilisers, herbicides and farmyard manure are recorded and field surveys are conducted periodically.