Cover Crops Contributions to 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 (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 6495
Special Issue Editors
Interests: agronomy; sustainability; soil health; microbiome; cover crops; statistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: soil microbiology; microbial ecology; soil biochemistry; soil ecotoxicology; plant-microbe interaction; microbiomes; organic fertilization; cover crops
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The study of the soil microbiome is essential for the maintenance and enhancement of soil health; yet, it remains drastically understudied in agricultural research. Cover cropping is the most promising in-field strategy with the potential to mitigate the consequences of soil degradation by increasing the temporal and spatial diversification of farm operations. Cover crops are grown specifically to protect the soil against erosion, ameliorate soil structure, enhance soil fertility, suppress pests, and prevent N and P losses to the environment. The benefits of cover cropping have been shown to extend to the soil microbiota, increasing the microbial abundance, activity, and diversity. As researchers in agriculture, we understand that the realization of the benefits from cover cropping depends on specific agronomic and environmental factors such as species selection, field management practices, weather conditions, and soils, and each of those choices or settings have the potential to affect the soil microbiome associated with the strategy. This Special Issue will address soil microbiome responses under cover cropping in a variety of agricultural settings, filling a critical gap in knowledge. The selected papers will provide insights on whether cover cropping can be promoted as a strategy to enhance agricultural sustainability driven by biodiversity and targeted management of the soil microbiome.
Dr. María Bonita Villamil
Dr. María Zabaloy
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- microbe-plant interaction
- metagenome
- soil health
- microbial diversity
- microbial activity
- fertilization
- tillage
- planting time
- suppression methods
- suppression time
- crop rotations
- organic production
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