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

The data consist of soil physicochemical and biological data for three soil depths (0-15, 15-30 and 30-60 cm) from a winter wheat field experiment located at two research sites in the United Kingdom. Soil samples were collected between April 2017 and August 2017. Extractions and measurements were carried out thereafter. 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 and the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole (DMPP; ADNI). Soil samples were taken within 2 weeks of digestate application and shortly before winter wheat harvest. Microbial community composition and nitrogen genes were measured on the same soil samples and are presented in a separate dataset (https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/391c0294-07f1-4856-b592-428bd44055ca). 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). 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/10.5285/90df9dfa-a0c8-4ead-a13d-0a0a13cda7ab

The data contains nitrogen (N) offtake, N emissions (ammonia and nitrous oxide), soil parameters (pH, EC, NH4+, NO3−), biomass and grain production from a winter wheat field experiment located at Bangor University (Henfaes Research Station in North Wales) and Rothamsted Research (North Wyke (NW) in Devon). Data were collected between April 2017 and August 2017. Measurements and soil and plant samples were taken from 45 plots in a randomized complete block design. Sixteen extra mini-plots at the prevailing wind (south westerly) edge of the experiment site were used at NW for NH3 volatilization measurements. The treatments were control (C, without N application), food based digestate (D), food based digestate + the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole (DMPP; D+NI), acidified food based digestate (AD), acidified food based digestate + the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole (DMPP; AD+NI). Four rates of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3; 75, 150, 225 and 300 kg N ha−1) were applied to compare yields and fertilizer replacement rate of the digestate treatments (targeted at 190 kg N ha−1). Soil pH, soil electrical conductivity (EC), soil NH4+ and soil NO3−, NH3 volatilization, N2O emissions were measured periodically for C, D, D+NI, AD and AD+NI and nitrogen concentration in grain and straw, grain yield and plant biomass for all treatments. Nitrogen offtake, losses and fluxes were used to determine the N use efficiency (NUE) and fertilizer replacement rate of the digestate treatments. Measurements were undertaken by members of staff from Bangor University, School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography and Rothamsted Research, Sustainable Agricultural Sciences – North Wyke. 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/10.5285/836dfb2e-bc6f-47d2-b924-8261be671391