For many centuries, long-term experiments have been established in favour of exploring and observing plant and soil interrelations on site. Long-term experiments can be considered as live instruments providing ’ceteris paribus’ conditions in temporal sequences.
This review is dealing with the introduction to major long term experiments in the World, and especially in Hungary. Giving a brief summary on plant nutritional research roots beginning with some data from Homer, and the fabulous initial willow tree experiment of van Helmont, as well as the basic inventions of physiological processes by von Liebig, Lawes and Boussingault. The most profound long term experiments like Padova’s Orto Botanico, the Linné Garden of Uppsala and the Broadbalk of Rothamsted are presented in the paper.
Long-term experiments in Hungary have yielded agronomic, educational and scientific benefits. Information is given on the major long term-trials like Westsik 1929, Martonvásár and the National Plant Nutrition experiments (OMTK) founded in 1963. There is a list of experimental sites providing information on the most important recent long term trial locations and activities.