Bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA and fungal ITS sequences after cover cropping in long-term corn monocultures with and without N fertilization

This study sought to identify microbial indicators of soil health after introducing cover crops to a long-term corn monoculture with and without N fertilization. The study was a 3x2 split-plot arrangement of N rates (0, 202, 268 kg N/ha) and cover crop (ceral rye and hairy vetch mixture) treatments in a randomized complete block design with three replicates sampled in 2019 and 2020. The site was in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Indicators from this study will serve to compare the soil microbiota across systems and become primary information to assess and optimize cover cropping strategy for sustainable agriculture. Each sample name shows the CC treatment (CC: cover crop; BF: bare fallow), N rate treatment (0, 202, 269 kg N/ha) - plot number - year of the study (2019, 2020). Each sample contains a sequence for each taxa (bac, arc, fun), replicate (R1, R2, R3), and sequence direction (forward, reverse). 2020 samples had two runs. Thus, 2019 samples each contain 18 sequences, and 2020 samples each contain 36 samples, accounting to a total of 972 sequences.