This dataset captures results from a 2024 field experiment conducted at Wynarka, South Australia, to investigate the interaction between sowing depth, fertiliser placement, and seed size on the establishment and performance of long coleoptile wheat. The trial involved three experiments using the Mace18 genotype (Experiments 1 and 2) and Calibre (Experiment 3), with treatments including two sowing depths (shallow: 4–5 cm and deep: 10–12 cm), two seed sizes (standard and small), and multiple fertiliser placements (above, with, below seed, sideband, and twin-row configurations). The experiment was laid out in a randomised block design with four replicates, using 12 m × 2.2 m plots and 28 cm row spacing.
The Excel file (.xlsx) contains seven sheets. “Trial details” outlines the experimental design, site conditions, and agronomic practices including sowing date (7 May 2024), fertiliser regimes, and rainfall data. “Trial Plan Exp1” and “Trial Plan Exp2&3” detail plot layouts and treatment combinations for each experiment. The “Metafile” provides metadata including sowing depths, assessment dates, and measured variables. The dataset in “Exp1_data” includes 40 plots with variables such as plant density at five time points, emergence percentage, sowing depth, coleoptile length, root and shoot biomass, NDVI across ten dates, dry biomass at GS31, GS65, and GS89, spike number, grain yield, harvest index, and 1000-grain weight. The “Exp1_soildata” sheet provides gravimetric soil moisture content at three depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–15 cm) for selected plots, measured on two dates post-sowing.
The dataset includes over 50 variables. Treatment labels (e.g., “deep_Small_fert below”) encode depth, seed size, and fertiliser placement. Biomass is recorded in g/m², NDVI as unitless indices, and grain yield in t/ha. Soil moisture is expressed as percent weight/weight. Data were collected using standard field protocols, with plant assessments based on averages from 10 plants per plot. This dataset enables detailed analysis of how agronomic practices influence early wheat establishment, biomass accumulation, and final yield under low rainfall conditions.
