Results of a 30-year-old fertilisation experiment

Abstract

The long-term mineral fertilisation experiment set up on acidic brown forest soil in Gödöllő in 1972 has made it possible over the years to answer a number of questions. It became clear that, in general, increasing rates of NPK fertilisation only caused a significant increase in the yields obtained in the crop rotation at lower rates (150–300 kg NPK/ha). As time went on, rates higher than this caused yield depression. The continuous application of high fertiliser rates led to a substantial increase in the P and K contents of the ploughed layer and in the quantity of nitrate accumulating in the 3 m soil profile. An increase in the quantity of nutrients was associated with a reduction in the pH and in the content of Ca and Mg. When mineral fertilisation was omitted for six years, there was a substantial reduction in the P and K contents of the ploughed layer.