DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bcc2fqzmj
title: Data from: Early impacts of cover crop selection on soil biological parameters during a transition to organic agriculture

description: Although Texas is not widely known for organic production, it is
 responsible for most organic peanut production in the US. When managed
 effectively, this can be a lucrative practice due to consumer demands.
 However, farmers pursuing organic management must undergo a three-year
 transition period to obtain United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
 certification, which is often associated with depressed yields. The
 objective of this study was to measure the impact of organic management
 and cover crop selection on biological indicators of soil health during
 the second year of transitioning to an organic cotton-peanut rotation in
 West Texas. We conducted a field study at 2 locations, and soil health
 indicators including in situ respiration, carbon mineralization, enzyme
 activities, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were measured. The use of
 a cover crop resulted in generally greater biological activities compared
 to the fallow after only one cover crop rotation, representing early
 elevated biological activities under plots treated with a cover crop.
 However, cover crop species selection typically did not affect soil
 biological parameters. Cover crop use also did not contribute to yield
 losses when compared to a fallow treatment. When comparing organic
 management to conventional, both sites experienced elevated PLFA counts
 under organic management. Importantly, results indicated that although
 reduced peanut yields could be expected under transitional organic
 management, this was not cover crop species-specific, nor was it a
 guarantee. Given the economic risk of organic management for farmers, this
 study will benefit producers deciding whether to pursue organic production
 and cover cropping.  
description: Please refer to "Early Impacts of Cover Crop Selection on
 Soil Biological Parameters During a Transition to Organic
 Agriculture" for methodology. 
description: # Data from: Early Impacts of Cover Crop Selection on Soil Biological
 Parameters During a Transition to Organic Agriculture ## Description of
 the data and file structure Tabs labelled “ConventionalOnly” include data
 solely from conventionally managed plots. Tabs labelled “OrgCon” contain
 data from both organically managed and conventionally managed plots for
 split-plot analysis. Missing or uncollected data are depicted with “.”
 Variable information: -        Obs = number of observations -       
 Location = site location                         -   Lubb = Lubbock, TX  
                       -   Vern = Vernon, TX -        Event = sampling
 event (April, May, June, July, August, September, and November; labelled
 numerically) -        Depth = sampling depth                            - 
  1 = 0-10 cm                            -   2 = 10-20 cm -        Plot_no
 = plot number -        Rep = replicate number -        Trt = treatment    
                         -   2 = organic, rye cover crop                  
           -   4 = organic, radish cover crop                            
 -   6 = organic, rye/vetch cover crop                             -   8 =
 organic, rye/vetch/radish cover crop                             -   10 =
 conventional, fallow                             -   11 = conventional,
 rye cover crop                             -   12 = conventional, radish
 cover crop                             -   13 = conventional, rye/vetch
 cover crop                             -   14 = conventional,
 rye/vetch/radish cover crop -        Orgcon = plot management (organic or
 conventional)                              -   O = organic                
              -   C = conventional -        Cover = cover crop type        
                      -   Rye = rye cover crop                            
  -   Rad = radish cover crop                              -   RV =
 rye/vetch cover crop                              -   RVR =
 rye/vetch/radish cover crop                              -   F = fallow
 -        Soilmoist = percent soil moisture -        Soiltemp = soil
 temperature (Celsius) -        CO2 = CO2 flux (mg CO2-C m-2 hr-1) -       
 Cumulative CO2 = Cumulative CO2 fluxes by end of season (kg CO2-C ha-1)
 -        Cc_biomass = cover crop aboveground biomass (kg ha-1) -       
 MinC = mineralizable carbon (mg CO2 kg-1 soil) -        BG = β-glucosidase
 (µg p-nitrophenol g-1 soil hr-1) -        NAG =
 N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (µg p-nitrophenol g-1 soil hr-1) -       
 Yield = peanut yield (kg ha-1) -        PLFA data (in pmol/g soil)        
                    -   AMF = AMF fungi                            - 
  GramNeg = gram negative bacteria                            -   Actino =
 actinomycetes                            -   TotalPLFA = total PLFAs      
                      -   NumberPLFA = number of PLFAs                    
        -   Fungi_Bacti = Fungi:Bacteria ratio                          
  -   Preditor_Prey = Preditor:Prey ratio                            - 
  GramPos_GramNeg = gram positive:gram negative ratio                      
      -   Sat_Unsat = Saturated:Unsaturated ratio                          
  -   Mono_Poly = Mono:Poly ratio                            - 
  GNeg_Stress = (cy17:0 + cy19:0):(16:1ω7c + 18:1ω7c) ratio -       
 Nodules = peanut nodules                             -   Total_count =
 nodule counts (count cm-2)                             -   Perc_total = %
 effective nodules