Kelly, CourtlandFonte, StevenHaddix, Michelle2021-10-292021-10-292021https://hdl.handle.net/10217/234029http://dx.doi.org/10.25675/10217/234029Purpose and scope: The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of wheat root exudation/rhizodeposition on the cycling and availability of added plant residue nitrogen. The purpose of this dataset is to provide the raw data collected from the experiment. This dataset includes biogeochemical values, mainly soil and plant carbon and nitrogen concentrations. Time period: This dataset deals with the data from one greenhouse experiment conducted in the spring of 2018. The experiment lasted ~ 50 days, and the data provided here was collected from destructive sampling of the experimental pots at the completion of the experiment. Areas of Investigation: Plant biomass, nitrogen cycling, enzyme activities, stable isotopes, biogeochemistry, exudation, soil organic matter priming, crop nutrition, root architecture, exudation, microbial biomass carbon, soil carbon, inorganic nitrogen, residue decomposition, nitrogen cycling, belowground plant carbon allocation.Department of Soil & Crop SciencesGraduate Degree Program in EcologyPlant roots add carbon (C) -rich rhizodeposits to the soil, which can alter microbial activity and nitrogen (N) cycling with implications for N availability and uptake by plants. We evaluated root architecture, rhizodeposit C, and microbial community structure and function across a breeding gradient of twelve winter wheat genotypes and examined how these rhizosphere traits were related to the availability and uptake of N from fresh cover crop residues in the soil. We traced wheat-derived C into soil and microbial pools using continuous isotopic labelling (13C-CO2) and applied 15N labelled plant residues to quantify plant and microbial uptake of residue-derived N. Wheat genotypes differed in root C allocation patterns, influencing N cycling. Thicker roots released more C into soil, which enhanced N mineralization through stimulation of the microbial biomass. Microbial biomass increased N-cycling enzyme activity and residue N-uptake by wheat. Microbial communities did not differ between wheat genotypes but were strongly related to patterns in root C allocation, and several genera showed strong relationships with root C deposition and N uptake. The microbial community associated with extractable root-derived C was structurally different from the community associated with residue N uptake, indicating the N-cycling response to exudation was not necessarily carried out by the same microbial community members as those stimulated by rhizosphere C inputs. Our results indicate that differential patterns of rhizodeposition and associated belowground C allocation strategies in winter wheat can alter microbial communities and influence cycling and plant availability of residue N. Ecologically-based nutrient management in agricultural systems should consider the role of crop root traits and associated microbiomes to optimize soil nutrient dynamics.CSVPDFengcrop genotypewinter wheatrhizodepositionroot architecturestable isotopesTriticum aestivumDatasetThe material is open access and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Public Domain "No rights reserved" (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).