Why scientists watched grass grow in Harpenden for 170 years
Scientists at Rothamsted Research in the UK have been conducting the 'Park Grass Experiment' for 170 years to study the effects of fertilizers on grassland. The long-term data provides invaluable insights into soil health, climate change, and environmental shifts.
Why it matters
This experiment represents one of the longest-running scientific studies in history, offering a unique baseline for understanding modern environmental and agricultural changes.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Danny Fullbrook Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Rothamsted Research Botanists and volunteers work on the experiment in Harpenden Watching grass grow may not sound like much fun, but scientists in Hertfordshire have been doing it for 170 years.
Queen Victoria was on the throne when Rothamsted Research's founders, Sir John Bennet Lawes and Joseph Henry Gilbert, began studying a field near Harpenden to find out how fertilisers and manure affected hay yields.
That field became the Park Grass Experiment, now the world's oldest experiment on permanent grassland.
Covering just under three hectares, it is divided into various plots treated in different ways, so scientists can compare how nutrients affect the growth, soil and diversity of grass.
For soil scientist Andy Gregory, who helps oversee Rothamsted's long-term experiments, being one of the current custodians of Park Grass is "an incredible privilege".
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