Maize response to free air CO2 enrichment under ample and restricted water supply: field experimental data and output of a process-based hydrological plant growth model

Abstract

This paper contains data from a two year FACE experiment with maize (Zea mays L., cv. ‘Romario’) investigating the interaction of two CO₂ concentrations (378, 550 ppm) and two levels of water supply (sufficient: wet, limited: dry) on crop growth and plant composition. In the second year soil cover was also varied to test whether mitigation of evaporation by straw mulch increases the CO₂ effect on water use efficiency. The datasets assembled herein contain data on weather, management, soil condition, soil moisture, phenology, dry weights and N concentrations of the plant (leaves, stems, cobs), green leaf area index, stem reserves, final yield and quality-related traits in the total plant and grains. Most of the experimental findings have already been published in scientific journals. Moreover, the data have been used in two crop modeling studies, and simulation results (on soil moisture, transpiration, evaporation and biomass) of one of these studies are also shown here.