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Agronomy
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Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health
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Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovative Cropping Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 May 2021) | Viewed by 13317

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Augustine K. Obour

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University
Interests: soil fertility; soil management; cover crops; soil health; plant nutrition; sustainable agriculture; regenerative agriculture; cropping systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, there is renewed interest in integrating cover crops into agricultural production fields to restore the soil health of degraded soils and improve crop yields. Conceptually, cover crops offer several ecosystem services, including weed control, nutrient cycling, and soil health improvement (increased soil organic matter, decreased wind erosion potential, alleviation of soil compaction, enhanced soil structure, as well as increased microbial activity). However, cover crops are grown and managed differently to address specific resource concerns. Therefore, the ability of cover crops to impact soil health will depend on several production factors, including intended cover crop use, species, cropping system, and growing environment. For this Special Issue, we seek papers that report effects of cover crop management practices on the biological, chemical, and physical attributes of soil health, with particular emphasis on systems approaches and recent advances in soil health measurements. Special consideration will be given to submissions on: (1) long-term cover crop management on soil health; (2) dual-purpose use of cover crops in integrated crop–livestock systems; (3) cover crops in semiarid environments; (4) combinations of cover crop management practices to improve soils (regenerative agriculture); and (5) novel techniques for assessing soil health.

Dr. Augustine K. Obour
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cover crop
  • soil health
  • soil management
  • regenerative agriculture
  • soil organic matter
  • semiarid
  • crop–livestock systems

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 6858 KiB  
Article
Cover Crop Impacts on Water Dynamics and Yields in Dryland Wheat Systems on the Colorado Plateau
by Lisa Eash, Abdel F. Berrada, Kathleen Russell and Steven J. Fonte
Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1102; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11061102 - 28 May 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2455
Abstract
On the semiarid Colorado Plateau, dryland farmers are challenged by degraded soils and unreliable precipitation. While cover crops have been shown to support soil fertility, control erosion, and enhance soil water capture, they also use limited soil water and, thus, may impact cash [...] Read more.
On the semiarid Colorado Plateau, dryland farmers are challenged by degraded soils and unreliable precipitation. While cover crops have been shown to support soil fertility, control erosion, and enhance soil water capture, they also use limited soil water and, thus, may impact cash crop productivity in dryland systems. Most literature on cover crops comes from relatively humid climates, where yield penalties due to cover crops may be less pronounced. Two field trials were conducted in Southwestern Colorado to assess the short-term viability of cover crops in dryland systems in this region. The effect of cover crops on subsequent winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield ranged from a decrease of 78% to an increase of 13%, depending on the amount of cover crop biomass produced in the previous year. Cover crop biomass was inversely correlated with soil nitrate levels and soil water storage at wheat planting, which decreased by 0.39 mg kg−1 and 10 mm, respectively, per 1000 kg ha−1 of cover crop biomass produced. Less available soil water and immobilized N therefore appeared to contribute to wheat yield reductions. These impacts are particularly important for semiarid environments, where decomposition of residue is water-limited and soil water recharge depends on unpredictable precipitation patterns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health)
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13 pages, 1230 KiB  
Article
Extending Cover Crop Benefits with Zone Till Management in Northern Organic Summer Squash Production
by Peyton Ginakes and Julie M. Grossman
Agronomy 2021, 11(5), 983; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11050983 - 15 May 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2173
Abstract
Winter annual legume cover crops often fail to reach full maturity by spring vegetable planting dates in northern climates, which prevents maximum nitrogen (N) contributions. To determine if delayed termination improved cover crop biomass and N content, we evaluated winter rye + hairy [...] Read more.
Winter annual legume cover crops often fail to reach full maturity by spring vegetable planting dates in northern climates, which prevents maximum nitrogen (N) contributions. To determine if delayed termination improved cover crop biomass and N content, we evaluated winter rye + hairy vetch (Secale cereale L. + Vicia villosa Roth) and oat + field pea (Avena sativa L. + Pisum sativum L.) cover crop mixtures in 2015 and 2016, and medium red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) in 2016, in zone-tilled organic yellow crookneck squash (Cucurbita pepo var. torticollis Harz). In-row regions where cover crops were terminated in early spring during crop row preparation were compared to between-row regions where termination was delayed until legume maturation in late spring. Soil quality (soil inorganic N, permanganate oxidizable C (POXC), and potentially mineralizable N (PMN)) was also determined for in-row and between-row regions at four time points throughout the growing season. In 2015, winter rye + hairy vetch biomass N more than doubled between early and late termination times, with 120 and 258 kg N ha−1, respectively. Permanganate oxidizable C was not responsive to cover crop systems or tillage, and only slightly decreased over time in 2016. Soil inorganic N and PMN after cover crop termination in 2016 provided evidence of localized soil N cycling responses to cover crop termination in in-row and between-row regions. The extended growing period for cover crops between crop rows in the first several weeks of crop growth had no negative effect on crop yield, and appeared to enhance soil fertility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health)
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20 pages, 1973 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Effect of Slurry, Combined with Inorganic N Rate and Timing, on the Yield of Spring Barley Post Cover Crop of Stubble Turnips
by Paul Cottney, Paul N. Williams, Ethel White and Lisa Black
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020232 - 27 Jan 2021
Viewed by 2108
Abstract
Integration of cover crops into arable rotations over winter results in difficulty in determining the nitrogen (N) requirement for the following commercial crop. The region of Northern Ireland (NI) has had no previous field research on cover crops and how they may affect [...] Read more.
Integration of cover crops into arable rotations over winter results in difficulty in determining the nitrogen (N) requirement for the following commercial crop. The region of Northern Ireland (NI) has had no previous field research on cover crops and how they may affect N supply to the following commercial crop. Stubble turnips (Brassica rapa oleifera L.) were sown as a cover crop, after the harvest of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and retained over winter. Prior to planting the stubble turnips, pig slurry was applied to maximise cover crop growth. The stubble turnips accumulated 111 and 150 kg N/ha in their biomass. This equates to 79 and 107% of the N requirement of a 5 t/ha spring barley crop, if this N is released sufficiently. In this experiment, the cover crop of stubble turnips was over-sown with spring barley and supplemented with different rates of organic manures (either applied at 50 m3/ha of pig slurry or not applied), and inorganic N fertiliser (0, 70 and 140 kg N/ha), at two different timings (early or late). In the two experimental years, additional N supplied in the form of inorganic N or organic manures, did not significantly enhance spring barley yields. No control area of fallow was included in this trial. However, this study demonstrates that in this region there may be a greater rate of N release from the cover crop of stubble turnips than estimated due to agronomic management practices applied and conducive climatic conditions. This means that in this study location, a reduced N rate programme supplemented to the spring barley is possible, which lead to considerable financial savings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health)
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9 pages, 609 KiB  
Article
Do Fallow Season Cover Crops Increase N2O or CH4 Emission from Paddy Soils in the Mono-Rice Cropping System?
by Jie Li, Shuai Wang, Yuanliang Shi, Lili Zhang and Zhijie Wu
Agronomy 2021, 11(2), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020199 - 21 Jan 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2775
Abstract
Cover crop management during the fallow season may play a relevant role in improving crop productivity and soil quality, by increasing nitrogen (N) and soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation, but has the possibility of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the soil. A [...] Read more.
Cover crop management during the fallow season may play a relevant role in improving crop productivity and soil quality, by increasing nitrogen (N) and soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation, but has the possibility of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the soil. A year-long consistency experiment was conducted to examine the effects of various winter covering crops on annual nitrous oxide (N2O) together with methane (CH4) emissions in the mono-rice planting system, including direct emissions in the cover crop period and the effects of incorporating these crops on gaseous emissions during the forthcoming rice (Oryza Sativa L.) growing period, to improve the development of winter fallow paddy field with covering crops and to assess rice cultivation patterns. The experiment included three treatments: Chinese milk vetch-rice (Astragalus sinicus L.) with cover crop residue returned (T1), ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.)-rice with cover crop residue returned (T2), and rice with winter fallow (CK). Compared with CK, the two winter cover crop treatments significantly increased rice yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) by 6.9–14.5%, 0.8–2.1% and 3.4–5.4%, respectively. In all cases, the fluxes of CH4 and N2O could increase with the incorporation of N fertilizer application and cover crop residues. Short-term peaks of these two gas fluxes were monitored after all crop residues were incorporated in the soil preparation period, the early vegetative growth period and the midseason drainage period. The winter cover crop residue application greatly enhanced CH4 and N2O cumulative emissions compared with CK (by 193.6–226.5% and 37.5–43.7%, respectively) during rice growing season and intercropping period. Meanwhile, the mean values of global warming potentials (GWPs) from paddy fields with different cropping crops were T2 > T1 > CK. Considering the advantages of crop productivity together with environmental safety and soil quality, Chinese milk vetch-rice with cover crop residue returned would be the most practicable and sustainable cultivation pattern for the mono-rice cropping systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health)
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27 pages, 2986 KiB  
Article
The Correct Cover Crop Species Integrated with Slurry Can Increase Biomass, Quality and Nitrogen Cycling to Positively Affect Yields in a Subsequent Spring Barley Rotation
by Paul Cottney, Lisa Black, Ethel White and Paul N. Williams
Agronomy 2020, 10(11), 1760; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10111760 - 12 Nov 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2822
Abstract
The aim of this study is to identify species of cover crops that cause an increase in biomass and total nutrient accumulation in response to manure/slurry. This could improve nutrient efficiency and intensify the benefits from over-winter cover crops in arable rotations and [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to identify species of cover crops that cause an increase in biomass and total nutrient accumulation in response to manure/slurry. This could improve nutrient efficiency and intensify the benefits from over-winter cover crops in arable rotations and improve following commercial crop yields. In a pot experiment, sixteen cover crops were grown for 100 days in response to slurry. Growth and nutrient (N, P, K, Mg and S) accumulation were measured, and then residue was reincorporated into the soil with spring barley (Hodeum vulgare L.) sown and harvested for yield. In response to slurry, tillage radish (Raphanus sativus L.) increased N accumulation by 101% due to a significant increase in biomass and % N (p < 0.05) over its relative control plots. Significant interactions between species and the application of slurry were found in cover crop biomass, cover crop and spring barley nutrient uptake, as well as cover crop carbon accumulation, particularly in the brassica species used. Slurry integrated with cover crops both reduced the cover crop C:N ratio and enhanced nutrient cycling compared to the control when soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) and spring barley crop N offtake were pooled. However, this was not observed in the legumes. This study shows that slurry integration with cover crops is a promising sustainable farming practice to sequester N and other macro-nutrients whilst providing a range of synergistic benefits to spring barley production when compared to unplanted/fallow land rotations. However, this advantage is subject to use of responsive cover crop species identified in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health)
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