Effect on crop growth of rain after prolonged drought [10]

Abstract

An investigation of the effect of irrigation on the growth of the sugar beet crop was started in 1955 at Woburn, Beds. Measurements of dry weight and leaf area were made on samples of the crop taken from twelve plots, six of which were irrigated. The experiment also included a comparison of two rates of nitrogen supply, but for the present purpose this can be ignored ; the results in Table 1 are means for the two rates. Material was available for sampling on only three occasions, as most of the crop had to be kept for measurement of yield at the normal time of harvest. © 1956 Nature Publishing Group.