This dataset contains the underlying data for the study: Rijk, B., Ittersum, M. van, Withagen, J. "Genetic progress in Dutch crop yields". Field Crops Research 149 (2013) 262–268, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2013.05.008 Crop yields are a result of interactions between genetics, environment and management (G × E × M). As in the Netherlands differences between potential yield and actual farm yields (yield gaps) are relatively small, progress in genetic potential is essential to further increase farm yields. In this paper we study the progress in yields of newly released varieties in official Dutch variety trials as a proxy for the progress in genetic yield potential, i.e., yield under absence of water and nitrogen limitation and pests and diseases. The use of yields from variety trials as a proxy for genetic yield potential is justified as these are well managed and because water is hardly limiting under Dutch climate–soil conditions. We compared the genetic yield progress of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), ware and starch potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) over the past ca. 30 years (ca. 1980–2010) with the developments in on-farm yields over the same period. GenStat 14th edition was used to perform modified joint regression analyses (mjra) and residual (or restricted) maximum likelihood (reml) analyses of yields in order to separate year (i.e., climate and/or management) effects from variety effects. Genetic progress in yield has been linear with ca. 100 and 60 kg ha−1 year−1 (15% moisture), respectively, for winter wheat and spring barley, 580 kg ha−1 year−1 payment weight for starch potato, and, partly non-linear for sugar beet, i.e., 80–170 kg sugar ha−1 year−1 depending on resistance type of the varieties. We also analyzed significant year effects (corrected for genetic progress) for most crops in the variety trials, which point at an effect of climate (environment) and/or management in addition to the genetic effect. Farm yields of ...