Data from: Integrated Crops and Livestock in Central North Dakota, USA: Agroecosystem Management to Buffer Soil Change

Integrated crop-livestock systems have been identified as having positive agronomic and environmental outcomes, but information documenting their long-term impact on soil properties is lacking. An integrated crop-livestock study was conducted to evaluate the effects of residue management, frequency of hoof traffic, season, and production system (integrated annual cropping vs. perennial grass) on soil properties at the 0-7.5 cm depth from 2001 through 2008. The study was conducted at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, North Dakota, USA. Soil bulk density, electrical conductivity, soil pH, extractable N and P, potentially mineralizable N, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen were measured 3, 6, and 9 years after treatment establishment. Electrical conductivity and pH were estimated from a 1:1 soil-water mixture. Soil nitrate-N and ammonium-N were determined from 1:10 soil-KCl (2 M) extracts using cadmium reduction followed by a modified Griess-Ilosvay method and indophenol blue reaction. Plant-available soil P was estimated by bicarbonate extraction. Potentially mineralizable N was estimated from the ammonium-N accumulated after a 7-d anaerobic incubation. Total soil carbon and nitrogen were determined by dry combustion. Values for soil properties were incorporated into a soil quality index to assess production system effects on soil condition using the Soil Management Assessment Framework. Data may be used to understand integrated crop-livestock system impacts on near-surface soil properties. Data are generally applicable to cropland under a semiarid continental climate for the following USDA soil types: Grassna, Linton, Mandan, Temvik, Williams, and Wilton.