The data consist of nitrogen gene data, soil biodiversity indices and microbial community composition for three soil depths (0-15, 15-30 and 30-60 cm) from a winter wheat field experiment located in the United Kingdom and collected between April 2017 and August 2017. The sites were Rothamsted Research at North Wyke in Devon and Bangor University at Henfaes Research Station in North Wales. At each site measurements were taken from 15 plots, organised within a randomised complete block design where 5 plots did not receive fertilizers (controls), 5 plots received food-based digestate, and 5 plots received acidified food based digestate a nitrification inhibitor. Soil samples were taken within two weeks of digestate application and shortly before winter wheat harvest. Soil chemical parameters were: soil nitrate, ammonium, dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen, amino acids and peptides, soil organic matter content as loss-on-ignition, pH, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, permanganate oxdisable carbon citric acid extractable phosphorous, Olsen-P and total carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Soil biological measure were: microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen. Soil samples were taken by members of staff from Centre of Ecology & Hydrology (Bangor), Bangor University, School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography Sustainable Agricultural Sciences, and Rothamsted Research North Wyke. Measurements were carried out Rothamsted Research Harpenden and the Centre of Ecology & Hydrology (Wallingford). Soil physico-chemical parameters were measured on the same soil samples and are presented in a related dataset. https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/90df9dfa-a0c8-4ead-a13d-0a0a13cda7ab Data was collected for the Newton Fund project “UK-China Virtual Joint Centre for Improved Nitrogen Agronomy”. Funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and NERC - Ref BB/N013468/1 Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/391c0294-07f1-4856-b592-428bd44055ca