Tomato response to legume cover crop and nitrogen: differing enhancement patterns of fruit yield, photosynthesis and gene expression

Excessive use of nitrogen (N) in crop production has impacted ecosystems by contaminating soil and water. Management of N in agriculture is therefore of global concern. Sustainable agriculture systems that use leguminous cover crops such as hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) to fix N and enrich soil organic matter by fixing carbon provide an alternative strategy. N signalling pathways were found associated with delayed leaf senescence and disease tolerance of hairy vetch-grown tomatoes. To test whether N in hairy vetch is the only contributing factor leading to these phenotypes, we designed a pot experiment in the field to analyse growth and gene expression in tomatoes, one set with soil overwintered without a cover crop (bare soil) and the other with soil overwintered with a hairy vetch cover crop including the vetch residue on the soil surface. Additionally, supplementary N fertiliser was also provided to aid distinguishing tomato responses to vetch from those to inorganic N. Tomato fruit yield, plant biomass and photosynthesis were higher in plants grown in vetch than bare soil. Tomato growth and photosynthesis metrics exhibited a parabolic response to inorganic N in bare soil, suggesting the potential for N toxicity in pots with the highest N rate. Vetch-grown tomato plants mitigated these effects and maintained elevated photosynthetic rates at high inorganic N levels. Vetch-grown plants also mitigated a decline in expression of several genes regulating nitrogen and carbon metabolism and upregulated the defence-related gene, osmotin, relative to plants grown in bare soil. Thus, some of the positive responses of tomatoes to a hairy vetch cover crop observed in the field seem mediated by physiological cues other than the additional N provided by the vetch cover crop.

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Cover-Crop Roller–Crimper Contributes to Weed Management in No-Till Soybean

Weed Science ◽

10.1614/ws-d-09-00040.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 300-309 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

Adam S. Davis

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Weed Management ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Yield Loss ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Rate Variation ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Soybean Yield ◽

Weed Interference ◽

No Till

Termination of cover crops prior to no-till planting of soybean is typically accomplished with burndown herbicides. Recent advances in cover-crop roller–crimper design offer the possibility of reliable physical termination of cover crops without tillage. A field study within a no-till soybean production system was conducted in Urbana, IL, from 2004 through 2007 to quantify the effects of cover crop (cereal rye, hairy vetch, or bare soil control), termination method (chemical burndown or roller–crimper), and postemergence glyphosate application rate (0, 1.1, or 2.2 kg ae ha−1) on soybean yield components, weed–crop interference, and soil environmental variables. Biomass of weeds surviving management within a soybean crop following either a vetch or rye cover crop was reduced by 26 and 56%, respectively, in the rolled system compared to the burndown system. Soybean yield loss due to weed interference was unaffected by cover-crop termination method in soybean following a rye cover crop, but was higher in the rolled than burndown treatment in both hairy vetch and bare soil treatments. In soybean following a rye cover crop, regardless of termination method, yield loss to weed interference was unaffected by glyphosate rate, whereas in soybean following a vetch cover crop or bare soil, yield loss decreased with glyphosate rate. Variation in soybean yield among cover crops and cover-crop termination treatments was due largely to differences in soybean establishment, rather than differences in the soil environment. Use of a roller–crimper to terminate a cover crop preceding no-till soybean has the potential to achieve similar yields to those obtained in a chemically terminated cover crop while reducing residual weed biomass.

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Cover Crop Management and Weed Suppression in No-tillage Sweet Corn Production

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.39.6.1262 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 1262-1266 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Lidia M. Carrera ◽

Aref A. Abdul-Baki ◽

John R. Teasdale

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Crop Management ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Weed Suppression ◽

Corn Yield ◽

No Tillage ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Weed Biomass

Cover crops combined with conservation tillage practices can minimize chemical inputs and improve soil quality, soil water-holding capacity, weed suppression and crop yields. No-tillage production of sweet corn (Zea mays var. `Silver Queen') was studied for 2 years at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Md., to determine cover crop management practices that maximize yield and suppress weeds. Cover crop treatments were hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), rye (Secale cereale L.) and hairy vetch mixture, and bare soil (no cover crop). There were three cover crop killing methods: mowing, rolling or contact herbicide paraquat. All plots were treated with or without atrazine and metolachlor after planting. There was a 23% reduction in sweet corn plant population in the rye-hairy vetch mixture compared to bare soil. Averaged over both years, sweet corn yield in hairy vetch treatments was 43% greater than in bare soil, whereas yield in the rye-hairy vetch mixture was 30% greater than in bare soil. There were no significant main effects of kill method or significant interactions between kill method and cover crop on yield. Sweet corn yields were not different for hairy vetch or rye-hairy vetch treatments with or without atrazine and metolachlor. However, yield in bare soil without the herbicides atrazine and metolachor were reduced by 63% compared to bare soil with these herbicides. When no atrazine and metolachlor were applied, weed biomass was reduced in cover crops compared to the bare soil. Regression analysis showed greater yield loss per unit of weed biomass for bare soil than for the vetch or rye-hairy vetch mixture. This analysis suggests that cover crops increased sweet corn yield in the absence of atrazine and metolachlor not only by reducing weed biomass, but also by increasing the competitiveness of corn to weeds at any given biomass.

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Nutrient Management with Cover Crops and Compost Affects Development and Yield in Organically Managed Sweetpotato Systems

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.43.5.1423 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 43 (5) ◽

pp. 1423-1433 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Danielle D. Treadwell ◽

Nancy G. Creamer ◽

Greg D. Hoyt ◽

Jonathan R. Schultheis

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Total Yield ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Inorganic N ◽

Available N ◽

Soil Inorganic N ◽

Organically Managed ◽

Soil Inorganic

A 3-year field experiment was initiated in 2001 to evaluate different organic sweetpotato production systems that varied in cover crop management and tillage. Three organic systems: 1) compost and no cover crop with tillage (Org-NCC); 2) compost and a cover crop mixture of hairy vetch and rye incorporated before transplanting (Org-CCI); and 3) compost and the same cover crop mixture with reduced tillage (Org-RT) were compared with a conventionally managed system (Conv) with tillage and chemical controls. Yield of No. 1 sweetpotato roots and total yield were similar among management systems each year, except for a reduction in yield in Org-RT in 2002. The percentage of No. 1 grade roots was at least 17% and 23% higher in Org-CCI and Org-NCC than Org-RT in 2001 and 2002, respectively, and similar to Conv in 2001 and 2004. Organic and conventional N sources contributed to soil inorganic N reserves differently the 2 years this component was measured. In 2002, soil inorganic N reserves at 30 DAT were in the order: Org-CCI (90 kg·ha−1) > Org-NCC (67 kg·ha−1) > Org-RT (45 kg·ha−1), and Conv (55 kg·ha−1). No differences in soil inorganic N reserves were observed among systems in 2004. Sweetpotato N, P, and K tissue concentrations were different among systems only in 2004. That year, at 60 days after transplanting, tissue N, P, and K were greatest in Org-CCI. In 2001 and 2004, N (4.09% to 4.56%) and K (3.79% to 4.34%) were higher than sufficiency ranges for N (3.2% to 4.0%) and K (2.5% to 3.5%) defined by North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recommendations for all treatments. No tissue macronutrient or micronutrient concentrations were limiting during this experiment. Reduced rainfall during the 2002 sweetpotato growing season may have contributed to the low microbially mediated plant-available N from the organic fertilizer sources. Despite differences in the nutrient content of organic and conventional fertility amendments, organically managed systems receiving compost with or without incorporated hairy vetch and rye produced yields equal to the conventionally managed system.

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The Effect of Cover Crops on the Yield of Spring Barley in Estonia

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture9080172 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (8) ◽

pp. 172

Author(s):

Merili Toom ◽

Sirje Tamm ◽

Liina Talgre ◽

Ilmar Tamm ◽

Ülle Tamm ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Production ◽

Nitrogen Availability ◽

Spring Barley ◽

Management Tool ◽

Winter Rye ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Hordeum Vulgare L ◽

Crop Species

Using cover crops in fallow periods of crop production is an important management tool for reducing nitrate leaching and therefore improving nitrogen availability for subsequent crops. We estimated the short-term effect of five cover crop species on the yield of successive spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) for two years in Estonia. The cover crop species used in the study were winter rye (Secale cereale L.), winter turnip rape (Brassica rapa spp. oleifera L.), forage radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.). The results indicated that out of the five tested cover crops, forage radish and hairy vetch increased the yield of subsequent spring barley, whereas the other cover crops had no effect on barley yield. All cover crop species had low C:N ratios (11–17), suggesting that nitrogen (N) was available for barley early in the spring.

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Legume and Grass Cover Crops for Seedless Watermelon Production

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.12.2.245 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 245-249 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. Rangappa ◽

A.A. Hamama ◽

H.L. Bhardwaj

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Fruit Yield ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

Legume Cover Crops ◽

Seedless Watermelon

Although there is increasing interest in reducing the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers due to the potential of unused N causing pollution of surface and groundwater, N is a major nutrient for plant growth. Our objective was to determine the potential of using winter legume cover crops to meet the N needs of seedless watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), a potential cash crop for farmers in Virginia. Fruit number, fruit weight, fruit yield, and fruit quality traits (flesh to rind ratio, water content, total soluble solids, sugar content, and pH) of seedless watermelons were evaluated in replicated experiments in Virginia at three locations during 1997-98 and two locations during 1998-99 following cover crop treatments consisting of crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), crimson clover + rye (Secale cereale), hairy vetch + rye, and a bareground control treatment that received 100 lb/acre (112 kg·ha-1) of N. At all five locations, the bareground control treatment resulted in fewer fruit [1803 fruit/acre (4454 fruit/ha)], lower fruit weight [9.8 lb (4.5 kg)], and lower fruit yield [8.9 tons/acre (20.0 t·ha-1)] compared to the four cover crop treatments. The crimson clover + rye and hairy vetch treatments resulted in highest numberof fruit [2866 and 2657 fruit/acre (7079 and 6563 fruit/ha), respectively], whereas the highest fruit yield was obtained following hairy vetch [21.2 tons/acre (49.8 t·ha-1)], hairy vetch + rye [20.3 tons/acre (45.5 t·ha-1)], and crimson clover + rye [19.6 tons/acre (43.9 t·ha-1)]. Cover crop treatments did not affect the quality of watermelon flesh. The seedless watermelon fruit averaged 1.4 flesh: 1 rind ratio, 90% water content, 9.5% total soluble solids, 8.0% sugar, and a pH value of 5.9. These results indicated that legume cover crops, such as crimson clover and hairy vetch, can be successfully used to produce seedless watermelons, in a no-till system, without any use of N fertilizers with dryland conditions.

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Extending Cover Crop Benefits with Zone Till Management in Northern Organic Summer Squash Production

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11050983 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 983

Author(s):

Peyton Ginakes ◽

Julie M. Grossman

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Trifolium Pratense ◽

Red Clover ◽

Early Spring ◽

Winter Rye ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Inorganic N ◽

Soil Inorganic N ◽

Soil Inorganic

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.

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Fresh-market Tomato Gas Exchange, Biomass, and Fruit Yield are Similar with Legume Cover Crops or Synthetic Nitrogen Fertilizer

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.40.1.209 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 209-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

W.F. Whitehead ◽

B.P. Singh

Keyword(s):

Gas Exchange ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Fruit Yield ◽

N Fertilizer ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Fresh Market ◽

N Fertilizers ◽

Legume Cover Crops

Conventional production of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) requires substantial investments, intensive management and high inputs of nitrogen. High N rates invariably leave residual soil NO3-N with the potential of polluting ground water and posing health hazard to humans and animals. The objective of this study was to examine the value of cover crops as a substitute to synthetic N fertilizer in growing of tomatoes. The experimental treatments consisted of control (no N fertilizer or cover crop), Abruzzi rye (Secale cereale L), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), or crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) cover crop, and fertilization of N at 90 or 180 kg·ha-1. The treatments were replicated four times over 2 years in a randomized complete block experiment for growing `Mountain Pride' tomato on a Greenville fine sandy loam soil. The parameters used to evaluate the performance of tomato consisted of leaf area index (LAI), gas exchange (GE), above ground plant dry weight, number of fruits, dry weight of fruits, and marketable fruit yield. Tomato LAI was similar under legumes and N fertilizers. Hairy vetch and applied N at 90 kg·ha-1 influenced net photosynthesis (Pn) and transpiration (E) the most in both years at all stages of growth. Highest number of tomatoes were produced in hairy vetch and applied N at 90 kg·ha-1 plots. There was no significant difference in the above ground plant dry weight, fruit yield and dry weight of fruits between legumes and N fertilizers. The results suggested that the legume cover crops compared favorably to N fertilizers in promoting tomato growth and development and may have potential of substituting N fertilizers in fresh-market tomato production.

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Cover Crop Residues Enhance Growth, Improve Yield, and Delay Leaf Senescence in Greenhouse-grown Tomatoes

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.40.5.1307 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 1307-1311 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Vinod Kumar ◽

Aref Abdul-Baki ◽

James D. Anderson ◽

Autar K. Mattoo

Keyword(s):

Leaf Senescence ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Free Field ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Field Plot ◽

Tomato Plants ◽

Field Plots

Cover crop management in growing horticultural produce has attracted attention for reducing soil erosion and limiting the input of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.), one of the cover crops, exhibits desirable attributes such as high N fixing ability, biomass quality, adaptability to low temperatures, resistance to pests, and fitness in vegetable production, particularly in rotation with tomatoes. The interactions between the cover crop mulch and the tomato plant in the field plots result in delayed leaf senescence and increased disease tolerance. The mechanisms underlying these interactions are largely unknown. Limits in pursuing these studies year-round in the field—growing season and complexity and variability of the field environment—could be circumvented if the observed responses of tomato plants to hairy vetch mulch in the field could be reproduced under greenhouse conditions. We have tested tomato plants for two years in the greenhouse using soil residues brought from field plots where respective cover crops had been previously grown. Treatments were a) bare soil from a fallow, weed-free field plot, b) soil from a field plot that had been planted into a rye cover crop, and c) soil from a field plot that had been planted into a hairy vetch cover crop. Pots with soil from the rye or vetch field plots were further topped with rye or vetch residues, respectively, after transplanting the tomato plants. Additional N was applied to 50% of the plants in each treatment. In the greenhouse, cover crop residue-supplemented tomatoes exhibited high vigor, higher marketable yield and delayed senescence compared to those grown in bare soil. All treatments responded favorably to additional N from commercial fertilizers. Delayed leaf senescence correlated with the accumulation of rubisco large subunit and chitinase, two proteins central to photosynthesis and pathogenesis, respectively. This study shows that the responses of tomato plants to cover crops seen in the field can be mimicked under greenhouse conditions.

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Fall- and Spring-sown Cover Crop Mulches Affect Yield, Fruit Cleanliness, and Fusarium Fruit Rot Development in Pumpkin

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.21.3.343 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 343-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christian A. Wyenandt ◽

Richard M. Riedel ◽

Landon H. Rhodes ◽

Mark A. Bennett ◽

Stephen G.P. Nameth

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Bare Soil ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Fruit Rot ◽

Winter Rye ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Vicia Villosa ◽

Annual Medics

In 2001 and 2002, fall- and spring-sown, spring-killed or spring-sown living cover crops mulches were evaluated for their effects on pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) number and weight, fruit cleanliness, and fusarium fruit rot (FFR; Fusarium solani f. sp. cucurbitae race 1). In general, the number and weight of orange (mature) fruit and total fruit weight were higher in bare soil (conventional), fall- or spring-sown, spring-killed cover crop mulches compared with spring-sown, living annual medic (Medicago spp.) cover crop mulches. In both years, pumpkins grown on fall-sown winter rye (Secale cereale), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), winter rye + hairy vetch, and spring-sown oat (Avena sativa) produced fruit numbers and weights comparable to or slightly higher than bare soil (conventional) production, suggesting that these cover crop mulches had no effects on reducing pumpkin yield. The number and weight of pumpkins grown in spring-sown, living annual medic cover crop mulches were reduced in both years compared with the other cover crop mulches. On artificially inoculated field plots, percentages of groundcover at harvest and fruit with FFR were 89% and 5% in fall-sown winter rye (seeded at 90 lb/acre), 88% and 10% in fall-sown rye (50 lb/acre), 85% and 5% in fall-sown rye + hairy vetch (50 lb/acre each), 19% and 30% in fall-sown hairy vetch (50 lb/acre), 23% and 23% in spring-sown oat (110 lb/acre), 1% and 25% to 39% in spring-sown, living annual medics (40 lb/acre) and 0% and 46% in bare soil plots, respectively. Results suggest that cover crop mulches such as fall-sown winter rye, fall-sown winter rye + hairy vetch, or spring-sown, spring-killed oat killed and left on the soil surface may help reduce losses to FFR in pumpkin production.

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Quality of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Changes under Different Cover Crops, Soil Tillage and Nitrogen Fertilization Management

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11020106 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 106

Author(s):

Riccardo Massantini ◽

Emanuele Radicetti ◽

Maria Teresa Frangipane ◽

Enio Campiglia

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Color Index ◽

Bare Soil ◽

N Fertilization ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Tomato Fruits ◽

Biomass Management ◽

Fertilization Level ◽

Crop Biomass

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interaction effects of winter cover crops (hairy vetch, subclover and black oat) and a bare soil, cover crop biomass management (incorporated into the soil or left on the soil surface as death mulch), and nitrogen (N) fertilization level (0, 75 and 150 kg ha−1 of N) on fruit yield and fruit quality parameters of processing tomato. Hairy vetch residues increased the yield (+57%), color index (+8%) and sugar/acidity ratio (+7%) of marketable tomato fruits compared to bare soil regardless of cover crop biomass management. Black oat residues determined a poor marketable yield, especially in tilled soil (on average, −26%, compared to bare soil) and they had a tendentially negative effect on some parameters of tomato quality (high firmness and titratable acidity, low color index and pH). Subclover residues, when incorporated into the soil, determined similar marketable fruit yield to bare soil, although they had a more favorable effect on the color parameters of tomato fruits. The increasing of the N fertilization level from 0 kg ha−1 of N to 150 kg ha−1 of N always positively influenced the tomato yield and fruit characteristics. The results suggest that hairy vetch, compared to other cover crops, had a positive influence on tomatoes and it could be part of an environmentally friendly management package for sustainable tomato cultivation in Mediterranean conditions.

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