No-till Biome Experiment
Oxford University, Harper Adams University and Soulton cooperate in soil health experiment.
In the summer of 2016, we decided, with both of the above universities to establish an experiment to look at how conservation agriculture (the no-till farming recently adopted by Adam in BBC Radio 4's The Archers), when contrasted with traditional plough tillage, might drive changes in the microscopic life of the soil.
The project has been covered on BBC Midlands here (as well as on BBC Farming Today here) and the package they filmed on it is embedded below, providing a useful context:
To look at this we will take DNA sequences of the soil biome and monitor other chemical and physical changes in the soil.
As far as we know this is the first time anywhere that this has been done.
Time line
October saw the setting of the replicated plots..
Followed by the sowing of the crop...
Samples have been taken of the soil..
Soil sampling this morning with @Tim_Ashton_ & Simon Jeffery of @HarperAdamsUni on Soulton Hall estate. pic.twitter.com/0dmqelsJSq
— Francisca Sconce (@FranciscaSconce) September 21, 2016
And the differing development of the plants themselves has been striking...
Useful difference - lhs cultivated rhs direct drilled with weaving GD. @Weaving_Mach @agricontract @Tim_Ashton_ pic.twitter.com/6sJhkwOZl2
— Paul Cawood (@audlemagronpaul) May 23, 2017
Left side from cultivated soil right from no-til @Tim_Ashton_ what a difference. pic.twitter.com/GgWX1m1YNh
— Paul Cawood (@audlemagronpaul) October 31, 2016
Left side no-til right side cultivated. What a difference in colour and growth habit pic.twitter.com/3xbuTNIEeR
— Paul Cawood (@audlemagronpaul) October 31, 2016
Conventional and no-tilled wheat today in the @OxfordPlants and @HarperAdamsUni soil biome experiment here pic.twitter.com/0dRxFnSNed
— Soulton Hall (@SoultonHall) January 31, 2017
Soil mesofauna from @SoultonHall @HarperAdamsUni tillage & soil biome experiment pic.twitter.com/NkuR57RBtb
— Francisca Sconce (@FranciscaSconce) April 22, 2017
Collembola of all shapes and sizes from @SoultonHall down the microscope @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/bUP0lIQhD2
— Francisca Sconce (@FranciscaSconce) May 14, 2017
Welcomed @DrDavidGK and folks from @HarperAdamsUni to look at the soil biome plots today. pic.twitter.com/xqyRtMdhCn
— Soulton Hall (@SoultonHall) May 23, 2017
Contrasting #notil and conventional wheat in replicated plots @HarperAdamsUni @WildCRU_Ox @OxfordPlants @FranciscaSconce @DrDavidGK pic.twitter.com/oVRFQuf0Nz
— Soulton Hall (@SoultonHall) May 16, 2017
Soil mesofauna sampling yesterday @SoultonHall @HarperAdamsUni #notill experiment followed by visit to @OxfordPlants @macdonalddw pic.twitter.com/GhzsWrsSCD
— Francisca Sconce (@FranciscaSconce) May 24, 2017
Useful difference - lhs cultivated rhs direct drilled with weaving GD. @Weaving_Mach @agricontract @Tim_Ashton_ pic.twitter.com/6sJhkwOZl2
— Paul Cawood (@audlemagronpaul) May 23, 2017
Literally live / living agroscience! Measuring soil biota in the notil/cultivated plots. pic.twitter.com/FwLxQnuFEU
— Paul Cawood (@audlemagronpaul) May 23, 2017
Farming tweeps. On @bbcmtd fascinating research on soil health and #notill https://t.co/Qp32P3TLGK How much damage does ploughing do? pic.twitter.com/sPybFzHkea
— David Gregory-Kumar (@DrDavidGK) June 6, 2017
Research here with @OxfordPlants, @HarperAdamsUni and @WildCRU_Ox was on Farming today this morning, 29 days here: https://t.co/FnJNYMXxAA pic.twitter.com/WifRAQo6MS
— Soulton Hall (@SoultonHall) June 28, 2017
The impact of "no till" farming on soil: https://t.co/vsesnKGP3M via @YouTube
— David Gregory-Kumar (@DrDavidGK) June 26, 2017
