A dataset on the preference for different nitrogen species by commercial cotton

In this project, we tested the ability of Gossypium hirstutum L. (commercial cotton) to take up different low molecular weight nitrogenous compounds (nitrate, ammonium, urea, alanine).\n\nThree varieties of G. hirsutum were grown to a two- to four-leaf stage in a randomised block design with 10 replicates. The three varieties used were: Sicot 746B3F, a genetically-modified (GM) current commercial cultivar accounting for more than half (54%) of the 2017-18 Australian summer plantings; Sicala V2, an obsolete non-GM commercial cultivar released in 1994; and Tx III, a Guatemalan landrace accession that represents the native origins of the commercial G. hirsutum varieties. Plants were grown in 300 mm deep low-density polyethylene (LDPE) pots, consistent with the rhizotube design used by Hill and Jones (2018). Tubes were open-bottomed, allowing drainage and preventing waterlogging. Pasteurised and washed sand of