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Celebrating 70 years of Research and Outreach (1929 - 1999)
Location & Significance
The Breton Plots were
established in 1929 near the village of Breton, 100km southwest of
Edmonton, by the Department of Soils, University of Alberta. These
plots were originally designed to find "a system of farming
suitable for the wooded soil belt". The Breton Plots are known
worldwide in the Soil Science community and are the only continuous,
long-term plots on Gray Luvisols in Canada and possibly in the
world.
Today, the Breton Plots provide a model of how
diverse cropping practices affect typical Gray Luvisolic soils after
70 years of farming. Many farmers and rural communities have
benefitted enormously from the work done over the past 70 years. The
economic impact through improved crop production, especially in
western Canada, has been significant. Currently, the plots are being
used to assess the interaction among the Global environment, crop
productivity and soil quality. The Breton Plots are a part of the
North American Great Plains Network and the Global Change and
Terrestrial Environment Soil Organic Matter Network.
The Plots are managed by the Department of Renewable
Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics,
University of Alberta with full participation of the Agronomy Unit,
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Edmonton. The Plots
exist today due to the vision of Dr. F. A. Wyatt and Dr. J. D.
Newton, the dedication of a large number of individuals, and the
financial support from the Breton Plots Endowment Fund, Industry,
National and Provincial Granting Agencies, and the Department of
Renewable Resources, University of Alberta.
The Founders
Dr. Frank Wyatt came to Alberta from Illinois
in 1919. He established the first Department of Soils in Canada at
the University of Alberta. He was very familiar with the long-term
Morrow Plots at the University of Illinois. Dr. John Newton studied
at the University of California. He was appointed to the department
of Soils, University of Alberta in 1922. He, with Dr. Wyatt, started
research at the Breton Plots site in 1929.
Mr. Ben Flesher provided the land for the first
plots in 1929. Ben did many of the plot operations including
tillage, seeding and harvesting. The 20-acre parcel of land on which
the Breton Plots are located was purchased by the University of
Alberta in 1946. Mr. Flesher was one of the founders of the Breton
Plots and made a significant contribution to the research and
outreach activities over a span of 40 years.
Further information about the Breton Plots is
available at the website: http://bretonplots.rr.ualberta.ca
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