Data on the response of Zea Mays L. and soil moisture content to tillage and soil amendments in the sub-humid tropics

Summary

The datasets presented were collected from Chuka and Kandara on-station trials sites in Kenya, conducted for two consecutive years. The main aim of the data collection was to evaluate the soil amendments and tillage influence on Zea Mays L. (maize) crop performance and soil moisture content, as reported by Kiboi et al. [1]. Rainfall data were collected using a manual rain gauge installed within the trial site. A non-destructive sampling of four maize plants next to each other on the centre row in each plot was conducted at the 6th and 10th leaf phase to determine crop growth dynamics. Maize grain and stover were harvested at maturity from net plots of 21 m2 in Chuka and 15 m2 in Kandara. The net plot was derived by excluding the first, the last (guard) rows, and the first and last maize plants in each plot. The net plot approach aimed to minimize the edge effect. For soil moisture content determination, a Polyvinyl Chloride access tube was installed at the centre of each plot. Crop phenology was observed and recorded at 50 and 100% stages per treatment. The datasets presented are supplementary materials to the research article by Kiboi et al. [1]. For statistical analysis, the data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). The datasets under consideration include daily rainfall, relative chlorophyll content- SPAD values and plant heights, grain yields and stover yields, and periodic soil moisture content.