Data from: Intercropping with legumes in the Congo Basin increases maize yields but not greenhouse gas emissions

Data files

Apr 21, 2026 version files 80.41 KB

Kwatcho_Kengdo_et_al._Data_Maize_experiment_in_Cameroon.xlsx

72.74 KB
README.md

7.67 KB

Abstract

Archive data supporting the results in the paper: Intercropping with legumes in the Congo Basin increases maize yields but not greenhouse gas emissions. The data are provided as a single Excel file with several sheets: GHG data, soil mineral N, plant biomass and grain yield, soil temperature and moisture, soil physico-chemical data, chemical analyses, weather data, and a README describing all parameters and their units.

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.f1vhhmhb5

Description of the data and file structure


Variable	Description	Units
Date	Date of measurement (Format: MM/DD/YYYY)	Date
Land use	Experimental treatment or land management type	Categorical
Maize season	First or second maize growing season	Categorical
depth	Soil depth interval where the sample was taken	cm
Soil depth (m)	Absolute depth of the soil layer	m
CO2	Mean carbon dioxide flux	mgC m^-2^ h^-1^
SE.CO2	Standard error of the mean CO2 flux	mgC m^-2^ h^-1^
N2O	Mean nitrous oxide flux	µgN m^-2^ h^-1^
SE.N2O	Standard error of the mean N2O flux	µgN m^-2^ h^-1^
CH4	Mean methane flux	µgC m^-2^ h^-1^
SE.CH4	Standard error of the mean CH4 flux	µgC m^-2^ h^-1^
NO3-N	Mean soil nitrate-nitrogen concentration	mg kg^-1^
SE.NO3-N	Standard error of soil nitrate-nitrogen	mg kg^-1^
NH4-N	Mean soil ammonium-nitrogen concentration	mg kg^-1^
SE.NH4-N	Standard error of soil ammonium-nitrogen	mg kg^-1^
Soil temperature	Mean soil temperature	°C
SD.Soil temperature	Standard deviation of soil temperature	°C
SE.Soil temperature	Standard error of soil temperature	°C
Soil water content	Mean volumetric soil water content	m³/m³
SD.Soil water content	Standard deviation of soil water content	m³/m³
SE.Soil water content	Standard error of soil water content	m³/m³
Air temperature	Mean daily air temperature	°C
Precipitation	Total daily precipitation	mm
total plant biomass	Total dry plant biomass harvested	kg ha^-1^
dry stems	Dry biomass of maize stems	kg ha^-1^
dry cobs	Dry biomass of maize cobs	kg ha^-1^
maize grains	Dry biomass of harvested maize grains	kg ha^-1^
beans grains	Dry biomass of harvested bean grains	kg ha^-1^
beans residues	Dry biomass of remaining bean plant residues	kg ha^-1^
BD	Soil bulk density	g cm^-3^
sand	Sand fraction of soil	%
silt	Silt fraction of soil	%
clay	Clay fraction of soil	%
pH water	Soil pH measured in water	unitless
pH KCl	Soil pH measured in potassium chloride	unitless
CEC	Cation exchange capacity	cmol^(+)^ kg^-1^
Org C	Organic carbon	%
Total N	Total nitrogen	%
C.N	Carbon to nitrogen ratio	unitless
Ca	Exchangeable Calcium	cmol^(+)^ kg^-1^
Mg	Exchangeable Magnesium	cmol^(+)^ kg^-1^
K	Exchangeable Potassium	cmol^(+)^ kg^-1^
Na	Exchangeable Sodium	cmol^(+)^ kg^-1^
P	Extractable Phosphorus	μg g^-1^



Missing data
N/A	Missing data in this dataset

Files and variables

File: Kwatcho_Kengdo_et_al._Data_Maize_experiment_in_Cameroon.xlsx

Description:

Variables


DATA SHEETS DESCRIPTION

GHG data: Measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, N2O, CH4) and concurrent point-measurements of soil temperature and moisture.

Soil mineral N: Soil nitrate (NO3-N) and ammonium (NH4-N) concentrations.

Plant biomass and grain yield: Crop yield, grain, and biomass partitions for the first and second maize growing seasons.

Soil temperature and moisture: High-frequency/continuous measurements of soil microclimate conditions.

Soil physico-chemichal data: Baseline physical and chemical properties of the soil profile at different depth intervals.

Chemichal analyses: Further detailed soil chemical properties, including exchangeable cations and pH.

Weather data: Daily meteorological conditions (air temperature and precipitation) during the study period.

Code/software

N/A