Effects of legume and non-legume winter cover crops on summer crops under organic management from 2015 to 2023

This database originates from field trials conducted between 2013 and 2023 by CREABIO at the La Hourre experimental site (southwestern France), and was compiled by ITAB. The objective of these trials was to investigate the impact of introducing cover crops during the intercrop period on the performance of the subsequent summer crop (soybean- Glycine max and linseed - Linum usitatissimum). The cover crops were sown in September and terminated by mowing in March of the following year, prior to the establishment of the summer crop.Each treatment corresponded to a specific combination of two cover crop species—legume or non-legume—sown at varying densities. A total of 21 treatments were implemented, involving 12 cover crop species, including faba bean (Vicia faba), Vicia benghalensis, Vicia sativa, oat (Avena strigosa), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), clover (Trifolium spp.), Setaria italica, Sinapis alba, lentil (Lens culinaris), phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). All treatments were compared to a control with no cover crop.The trials followed a split-plot design with 3 replicates.

The database includes information on:

-    Field operations: sowing, fertilization, weed control, and harvesting-    Summer crop production performance: yield, protein content, grain nitrogen and phosphorus total content, aboveground residue biomass quantity, nitrogen and phosphorus total content-    Cover crop production performance for each species: aboveground residue biomass quantity, nitrogen and phosphorus total content-    Yield components: plant density (plants/m²), pods density (pods/m²), grain density (grains/m²), and thousand seed weight-    Soil mineral nitrogen content at different horizons at different dates.

In addition, the database includes daily weather data (minimum, maximum, and mean temperature, as well as precipitation) recorded at the on-site weather station during the trial period.

Crop succession:

              Year n               ||               Year n+1

                      <-Cover crops->  <-Summer crop->

This dataset is part of the database compiled as an outcome of Work Area 1 in project OrganicYieldsUP. Variable definitions can be found here:  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15276082