Data from: Near-Surface Soil Property Responses to Forage Production in a Semiarid Region

Use of perennial forages in cropping systems can improve soil quality. The length of time needed to accrue improvements in soil condition under perennial forages is unclear, particularly in semiarid regions. A study was conducted to quantify soil responses to perennial grasses, legumes, and grass-legume mixtures over a 5-yr period on a Parshall fine sandy loam near Mandan, ND USA. Five forage treatments and an annual crop treatment were evaluated. Forage treatments included field pea (Pisum sativum L.), intermediate wheatgrass [IMWG; Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey subsp. Intermedium], switchgrass (SWG; Panicum virgatum L.), an intermediate wheatgrass-field pea mixture, and a switchgrass-field pea mixture. After the establishment year (2006), alfalfa (Medicago spp.) was seeded in treatments where field pea was present the year before. Continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) represented the annual crop treatment. In April of 2008-2011, soil samples within each fall-converted forage treatment and continuous annual crop treatment were collected prior to seeding spring wheat. Samples were collected from the 0-30 cm depth in increments of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 cm using a step-down probe with an inner tip diameter of 3.13 cm. Soil samples were evaluated for soil bulk density, water-stable aggregation, soil pH, total carbon and nitrogen, and particulate organic matter carbon and nitrogen. Assessments of carbon and nitrogen were determined by dry combustion. Water-stable aggregation was measured using the 1-2 mm aggregate fraction. Data may be used to understand soil responses to perennial forages under rainfed conditions in a semiarid continental climate. Applicable USDA soil types include Parshall, Cabba, Farland, Flasher, Lehr, Lihen, Manning, Morton, Straw, Tally, Vebar and Williams.