Data from: Application of visual soil evaluations in a semiarid region

A half-day workshop exploring visual soil evaluation methods was developed for land managers by the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, ND USA. Outcomes from workshops held between 2018 and 2023 found that attendees were able to quickly acquire skills necessary to effectively apply the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) assessment method under conditions unique to the workshop. Annual measurements of soil properties and crop yield were conducted on five cropping systems with different management but common soil type and compared to VESS assessments. Soil measurements included soil bulk density, sorptivity, soil pH, soil organic matter, soluble C, soluble N, and C mineralization, while crop measurements included spring wheat grain and straw yield. Field measurements of sorptivity were conducted at the same time soil samples were collected from the 0-10 cm depth for laboratory analyses. Soil pH was estimated from a 1:1 soil-water mixture, soil organic matter by loss-on-ignition, soluble C and N from water extracts, and C mineralization using a 24-hr incubation. Spring wheat grain and straw yield were measured using standard methods for hand sampling and biomass processing. Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure assessments were conducted by workshop attendees and the instructor. Data may be used to understand how visual soil evaluations conducted by land managers compare with traditional soil and crop measurements. Data are generally applicable to cropland under a semiarid to sub-humid continental climate for the following USDA soil types: Grassna, Linton, Mandan, Temvik, Williams, and Wilton.