Data and code for "Functionally rich crop rotations increase calorie and macronutrient outputs across Europe"

• Data are openly accessible

• Giulia Vico - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences - Department of Ecology

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  ORCID

• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

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  ROR

• SLU.ekol.2025.4.2.IÄ-8

• Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0)

• English

• Other

16 long-term experiments are included in the study, representative of arable crops in Europe and covering a wide range of pedoclimatic conditions.

• Field trial
• Experimental study

We identified the candidate long-term experiments via referral from colleagues and the scientific literature, and contacted the person(s) appearing as currently responsible for the experiment. The long-term experiments included satisfy five criteria (at least 10 years of data and two rotations, cereal in all rotations, all crops grown every year and diversity not confounded with other treatments; for details, see Methods in Vico et al. Nature Food). We checked whether a long term experiment met such criteria with the person(s) currently responsible for of each long-term experiment. For each long-term experiment, we used all the available data from rotations meeting the criteria. We included all the available data available in terms of years, rotations including cereals, and replicates. However, if the rotations were altered during the experiment, we retained only the data relative to the longest period with unchanged rotations. For one site (Säby_LTE), we did not consider the rotations with residue burning. Within each experiment, the rotations were set up according to a randomized design. The number of replicates depended on the long term experiments, with 8 of them not replicated. Crop yields for each rotation, year, replicate/other treatment were aggregated to whole rotation outputs of calories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats, assuming common retail products for each crops, and considering three scenarios of use of forage crops.

The analyses rely on crop yield collated in randomly selected areas within each plot and then data aggregated by site, crop rotation, replicate/other treatment and year, transforming marketable yields in calorie and macronutrient outputs, assuming common retail products for each crop. The crop yield data had been collected at each long-term experiment, by local personell and following the local protocol.

• 1966 - 2020

12

• Numeric
• Text
• Software

Compilation/Synthesis

Crop yield data and basic management information were provided by the contact person(s) currently responsible for the long-term experiment. The data were homogenized in format and combined in a single dataset of yields per site, crop, year, treatment(s). Yield data were later transformed in calorie and macronutrient outputs at aggregated per site, year, and treatment(s).

• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

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  ROR

• Research data

1 year

• Europe

Data were originally collected in 16 long-term experiments across Europe

Institutionen för ekologi

• Alessio Costa - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
• Monique E Smith - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
• Timothy Bowles - University of California, Berkeley
• Amelie CM Gaudin - University of California, Davis
• Christine A Watson - Scotland's Rural College
• Guido Baldoni - University of Bologna
• Antonio Berti - University of Padua
• Andrzej Blecharczyk - University of Life Sciences in Poznań
• Krzysztof Jonczyk - Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation - State Research Institute
• Martina Mazzon - University of Bologna
• Claudio Marzadori - University of Bologna
• Francesco Morari - University of Padua
• Lorenzo Negri - University of Bologna
• Andrea Onofri - University of Perugia
• José Luis Tenorio Pasamón - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, INIA-CSIC
• Boel Sandström - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
• Inés Santín-Montanyá - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, INIA-CSIC
• Zuzanna Sawinska - University of Life Sciences in Poznań
• Jarosław Stalenga - Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation - State Research Institute
• Francesco Tei - University of Perugia
• Cairistiona FE Topp - Scotland's Rural College
• Robin L Walker - Scotland's Rural College
• Riccardo Bommarco - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

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  ROR

• Ecology
• Agricultural science

• Carbohydrate
• Biofuel
• Lipid
• Protein
• Beef
• Legumes
• Forage
• Oil crops
• Root crops
• Crop yield
• Milk production
• Europe
• Poland
• United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland
• Italy
• Sweden
• Spain
• Leys
• Crop rotation
• Cereal crops
• Long-term experiments
• Macronutrients

• food calorie
• crop rotational diversity