Soil enzymatic activity data over eight years at the EFELE site, a long-term field experiment on effects of organic waste products and tillage practices

Land application of organic waste products (OWPs), catch crops and reduced soil tillage are accepted as sustainable management practices in agriculture. They can optimize resources by supplying nutrients to plants and helping to maintain soil fertility. They also can influence soil functions in agricultural production systems. Soil microorganisms can feed on fresh organic matter by producing extracellular enzymes. Enzyme production responds to resource availability and soil C:N:P ratios, which could limit biogeochemical cycling. Allocating resources to produce nutrient-acquiring enzymes requires a large amount of energy to achieve optimal growth. In this context, studying the use of OWPs is important, as alternatives to long-term use of mineral fertilizers, to understand the dynamics of response and how the OWPs influence production of extracellular enzymes in the soil. Effects of OWPs on soil enzymatic activities have been studied widely, but long-term effects remain poorly understood, and no information is available about differences in dynamics among systems for each biogeochemical cycle. The data described here were collected during two trials from an initial state, and they allow assessment of long-term effects of OWP application, mineral nitrogen fertilization, tillage and vegetation cover on soil enzymatic activities. Data are presented for the activities of five soil enzymes measured from 2012 to 2019: β-glucosidase, phosphatase, urease, arylamidase and arylsulfatase. Five additional enzymes were included in 2019 to supplement the analysis of biogeochemical cycles: alkaline phosphatase, phosphodiesterase, α-glucosidase, β-galactosidase and n-acetyl-glucosaminidase. These activities were measured in two trials at the EFELE study site: PROs (five OWPs applied to a corn-wheat rotation) and TS/MO (four treatments that examine interactions between OWP and type of tillage). These data can be used as a reference for future studies of soil enzymes in France and other regions (e.g. for developing reduced-tillage systems and organic or inorganic amendments, and to assess dynamics of the systems).