Data from: Persistence of Microcystin in Three Agricultural Ponds in Southeastern Georgia, USA

<table><tr><td><p dir="ltr">Microcystins in agricultural ponds can affect agricultural productivity, posing risks to nearby crops and health risks to livestock. Little information is known about microcystins and water quality within agricultural ponds despite surface waters being a primary water source for many farms in the eastern United States. Three agricultural ponds were sampled monthly over 17 months from June 2022 to October of 2023. Pond 1 is located on a farm near Sumner, Georgia, and is primarily used for livestock watering and irrigation. Pond 2 and Pond 3 are located on a farm near Ty Ty, Georgia, and are primarily used for irrigation. At each pond, 500 ml surface (0-10cm) water samples were collected along the nearshore (littoral sites) and in the interior (limnetic sites) of the ponds. Sampling locations did not change during the sample collection period. Water quality parameters were measured in situ with a YSI EXO-2 sonde (Yellow Spring Instruments, Yellows Springs, OH). Measured parameters included chlorophyll a, fluorescent dissolved organic matter, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, phycocyanin, turbidity, pH, temperature, and nitrate. A 20 ml aliquot was pulled from each water sample and promptly frozen at – 20 °C until analysis for microcystin. Each aliquot underwent three freeze-thaw cycles before being assessed on a microcystin-ADDA ELISA test kit (Gold Standard Diagnostics, Warminster, PA).</p></td></tr></table><p><br></p>