Datasets supporting the adoption of multifunctional cover crops related to soil water and nitrogen in water-limited environments

Datasets for the understanding of the place of multifunctional cover crops as an alternative paradigm to conventional fallow in water-limited environments. The data contains crop resource quantity (biomass, N uptake, fixed shoot N, and water use), resource quality (C/N ratio, lignin, acid detergent fibre, and N concentration), and soil status (plant available water and mineral N) at field scale. This data supports the framework of the continuous development of alternative innovative cropping systems that have the potential to increase and maintain crop yield while minimizing the adverse effects of fallowing in the context of sustainable intensification.