Soil physicochemical properties, microbial (PLFA, enzyme activity, EcoPlate) profiles and wheat plant traits across 11 Mediterranean fields (Spain and Italy) under rainfed and irrigated management

This dataset contains soil and crop measurements collected from eleven Mediterranean wheat fields in Spain and Italy, generated to support analyses of soil–plant–microbe interactions under contrasting edaphic and management conditions. Topsoil (0–20 cm) was sampled as composite material from a field grid at three key moments of the crop cycle (TP1: BBCH 51–57; TP2: BBCH 91–97; TP3: post-harvest), with one site lacking TP1 due to logistical/climatic constraints. The Soil_Data sheet includes soil physicochemical variables (pH, electrical conductivity, texture fractions, organic matter, total C and N, exchangeable cations/CEC, and available macro- and micronutrients), as well as microbial biomass C and N. It also reports extracellular enzyme activities (C, N, P and S cycling enzymes), PLFA-based microbial group biomarkers (total PLFA and major functional groups including Gram-positive/Gram-negative bacteria, actinobacteria and fungi), and EcoPlate-derived substrate-use metrics aggregated by chemical class (amino acids, amines, carbohydrates, carboxylic acids, phenolics and polymers). The Crop_Data sheet provides plant traits (height, tillers per plant, 100-grain weight) and tissue elemental composition (C, N, nutrients and trace elements) measured in shoots, roots and grain (where available) across timepoints with biological replicates. A Metadata sheet summarizes site codes, cultivar and factor information (region, wheat species/cultivar set and water management where available), masked coordinates (randomly displaced to protect sensitive locations), replicate structure, missingness notes, and a variable-level data dictionary to facilitate reuse.