Dataset of cotton harvest traits and yield in the oasis farmland ecosystems on the southern margin of Taklimakan Desert from 2005 to 2010

Oasis transition belt is the natural barrier of ecological security in the Taklimakan Desert, and it is also the most sensitive and vulnerable area affected by climate change. The long-term positioning observation of oasis farmland ecosystem plays a crucial role in the construction of ecological environment and the sustainable development of economy and society in this region. The Cele National Station of Observation and Research for Desert-Grassland Ecosystems of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (referred as “Cele Station” hereafter), located in the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, has been carrying out long-term ecological observation of the characteristics and yields of local typical crops at harvest time since 2004. This dataset collected the biological observation data of Cele Station from 2005 to 2010, which mainly included the plot background (including crop types, rotation system, fertilizer input, pesticide input, and irrigation system) and crop traits and yield (including plant number, plant height, boll mass, lint percentage, density, and aboveground dry mass). The dataset could provide important scientific basis for the research on the stability of desert vegetation, the harmonious coexistence of human-sand relationship, and the healthy development of oasis farmland. It could also provide basic information for crop selection, cultivation system improvement, and crop trait changes during harvesting period in arid areas.