100 years of uninterrupted farming experience at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences

At the prof. Marian Górski Experimental Station of the Institute of Agriculture in Skierniewice, another research season has begun. Based on many years of experiments conducted at the Station,  the impact of fertilization, cultivation method, rotations, farm monocultures and various farming systems on the environment, and particularly on soils, groundwater and the atmosphere is being investigated. Research conducted at the Station in Skierniewice – one of the oldest research centers of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences – has been conducted since 1921.

These are the oldest existing agricultural experiences in Poland, 5th in Europe and 7th in the world. Nowadays, such experience is of great importance for understanding the impact of agriculture on the environment, with the emphasis on climate change.

As already indicated, among the experiments carried out in Skierniewice, the impact of fertilizers on groundwater, the release of greenhouse gasses from the soil into the atmosphere as well as soil carbon sequestration is tested. These studies are part of the contemporary trend aimed at reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment and introducing environmentally friendly agricultural practices. In Skierniewice one can also get access to weather data from the meteorological station of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, collected continuously since 1921.