Abstract
Over the last 40 years many experiments have been performed by Warwick HRI and its collaborators, to determine the responses of vegetable crops to fertilisers. The data from these experiments was collected at considerable expense in projects funded primarily by MAFF. Data from these experiments provide a unique resource from which to develop new hypotheses, and to calibrate and validate fertiliser-response models, such as those being developed in projects currently being funded by Defra (e.g. HH3505SFV, HH3507SFV) and the EU (EU-Rotate_N QLK5-2002-01100). With current constraints on funding it is unlikely that another large-scale experimental program could be financed, so it is essential to preserve the historical data in an accessible form for the future. When the historical data were collected, only rudimentary systems of data storage were available, and most datasets were recorded in free format as paper records, on microfiche or on magnetic tape. This makes them difficult to access and, because of poor annotation, difficult to interpret. This situation has not been eased by the decommissioning of the VAX computer, which was previously used to download information from magnetic tapes. If these data are to be preserved and used in the future it is essential that they become more accessible. The widespread availability of modern database programmes such as ACCESS would provide an ideal framework in which to combine such data in a common format for its future use. An electronic database cataloguing this data would provide a unique resource from which new nutrient response models and fertiliser recommendation systems, including RB209, could be developed and evaluated, and would be an invaluable source of information for answering a range of questions on the effects of different strategies of fertiliser use on the yield and quality of vegetable crops. Such a database system could also be used to collate new data from ongoing research. In summary, the database will underpin an improved understanding of how added nutrients influence plant growth and development and crop quality, and will ensure better targeting of such nutrients. It will also assist with developing best practice guidelines for sustainable farming systems and integrated farm management practices, helping to minimise the use of non-renewable resources and helping to safeguard the environment by optimising fertiliser inputs to farming systems. The possibility of placing parts of the database on the internet will also be explored to encourage its widespread use.
United Kingdom