Joint International Conference on Long-term Experiments ...

and in field and pot experiments. Farm scale data are also were processed for this
purpose.
The next important work (1986-1990) in this field was connected to the project No.
OTKA-513 called „Factors influencing the utilization of yield potential of the new
varieties, the dinamics of plant growth affected by the environmental conditions in case
of some arable crop species and varieties.” The research was carried out either in longterm
or in annual field experiments in Keszthely, Hungary.
In the following years the centralized systematic funding of these research projects
by the administration came to an end and the R+D sources of the institutions decreased
dramatically. In the following years the funding of long-term field experiments have
been based on short-term projects (OTKA, FVM, NKFP, GVOP, etc.) and their
existence is quite uncertain nowadays.
Since the ’90-es the long-term field experiments have been run by the today’s
generation of researchers. The main long-term field experiments of the department are
as follows:
• Comparative study of organic and mineral fertilizer application (1960-63)
• Minimum tillage experiment in wheat-maize diculture (1972)
• Mineral and organic fertilization in different crop rotations (1963)
• Nitrogen fertilization experiment with the study of residual effect (1965 Keszthely,
1965 Szentgyörgyvölgy)
• Phosphorus fertilization experiment with the study of residual effect (1963
Keszthely, 1965 Szentgyörgyvölgy)
• Potassium fertilization experiment with the study of residual effect (1963
Keszthely, 1965 Szentgyörgyvölgy)
• Mineral fertilization in continuous maize cropping experiment (1969)
• <strong>International</strong> organic and mineral nitrogen fertilization experiment (1983)
• National Long-term Field Experiment (OMTK) Network trial (1967-69)
The results of the long-term field experiments are published in several journals,
conference proceedings and books. The aim of our field research is to develop such
systems of fertilization and agrotechnics that resulted in the greatest yields in given
agroecological condition without environmental hazards.
During the history of the agricultural research the aim of the trials was always to
clarify the limiting factors. While in the ’60-es farmers had to be persuaded about the
effects of mineral fertilizer application now beside the clarification of particular
questions the integrated polyfactorial and ecosystem oriented approach of research is
the typical.
SUMMARY
The importance and necessity of long-term field experiments:
• Long-term effects can only be studed after several decades reliably.
• The agrotechnical development (chemical, biological, etc.) of the last decades can
be measured by long-term data and the plans for the future should also be based on
this data base.
• Nutrient balances can be estimated reliably.
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