scholarly journals Legacy effects of diversity in space and time driven by winter cover crop biomass and nitrogen concentration

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna M. Barel ◽  
Thomas W. Kuyper ◽  
Wietse de Boer ◽  
Jacob C. Douma ◽  
Gerlinde B. De Deyn
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crop ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Legacy Effects ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Winter Cover Crop ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Crop Biomass

scholarly journals Tillage System and Cover Crop Management Impacts on Soil Quality and Vegetable Crop Performance in Organically Managed Production in Tennessee

HortScience ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (8) ◽  
pp. 1038-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Butler ◽  
Gary E. Bates ◽  
Sarah E. Eichler Inwood
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Vegetable Crop ◽  
Weed Density ◽  
Winter Cover Crop ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Organically Managed ◽  
Polyethylene Mulch ◽  
Crop Biomass

Research is lacking on the impact of alternative reduced tillage (RT) systems on vegetable crop performance and soil quality, especially in organic production systems, where weed control cannot rely on synthetic herbicides. A 2-year field study was implemented in Aug. 2010 in Knoxville, TN, to evaluate cover crop–based systems for organic vegetable production either with or without spring tillage. Treatments, all organically managed, included 1) Till (+ACC), spring tillage of a winter cover crop with aboveground cover crop biomass (ACC) retained and soil covered by polyethylene mulch; 2) Till (−ACC), spring tillage of a winter cover crop with aboveground cover crop biomass (ACC) removed before tillage and soil covered by polyethylene mulch; and 3) RT system with no spring tillage and mechanically terminated winter cover crop residue on the soil surface. Vegetable crops of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) and watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. et Nakai] were planted in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Crop yield, cover crop biomass accumulation, soil N and C dynamics, and weed density were assessed. Marketable eggplant yield and marketable watermelon yield did not differ among treatments, but weed density was higher in the RT system. Measures of soil quality after 2 years of the study indicated that particulate organic matter-carbon (POM-C) and -nitrogen (POM-N) were highest in the RT treatment, a significant increase as compared with values at the beginning of the study. As a measure of the active fraction of soil organic matter, this indicates that the RT system may best maintain and improve soil quality in similar regional organic vegetable cropping systems. As indicated by measures of soil quality and crop yield, removal of aboveground cover crop biomass did not negatively impact the Till (−ACC) system as compared with the Till (+ACC).

scholarly journals Winter cover crop legacy effects on litter decomposition act through litter quality and microbial community changes

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janna M. Barel ◽  
Thomas W. Kuyper ◽  
Jos Paul ◽  
Wietse Boer ◽  
Johannes H. C. Cornelissen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Legacy Effects ◽  
Winter Cover Crop ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Community Changes

NIR-Green-Blue High-Resolution Digital Images for Assessment of Winter Cover Crop Biomass

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Raymond Hunt ◽  
W. Dean Hively ◽  
Greg W. McCarty ◽  
Craig S. T Daughtry ◽  
Patrick J. Forrestal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
Winter Cover Crop ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Crop Biomass

Winter Cover Crop and Management Effects on Summer and Annual Nutrient Yields

2006 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 946-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis E. Rowe ◽  
Timothy E. Fairbrother ◽  
Karamat A. Sistani
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crop ◽  
Winter Cover Crop ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Management Effects

Influence of Winter Cover Crop Mulch on Arthropods in a Reduced Tillage Cucurbit System

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda L Buchanan ◽  
Cerruti R R Hooks
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crop ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Winter Cover Crop ◽  
Winter Cover

scholarly journals Assessing winter cover crop nutrient uptake efficiency using a water quality simulation model

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 5239-5253 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.-Y. Yeo ◽  
S. Lee ◽  
A. M. Sadeghi ◽  
P. C. Beeson ◽  
W. D. Hively ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Watershed Scale ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Winter Cover Crop ◽  
Nitrate Export ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Winter Cover Crops

Abstract. Winter cover crops are an effective conservation management practice with potential to improve water quality. Throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW), which is located in the mid-Atlantic US, winter cover crop use has been emphasized, and federal and state cost-share programs are available to farmers to subsidize the cost of cover crop establishment. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term effect of planting winter cover crops to improve water quality at the watershed scale (~ 50 km2) and to identify critical source areas of high nitrate export. A physically based watershed simulation model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), was calibrated and validated using water quality monitoring data to simulate hydrological processes and agricultural nutrient cycling over the period of 1990–2000. To accurately simulate winter cover crop biomass in relation to growing conditions, a new approach was developed to further calibrate plant growth parameters that control the leaf area development curve using multitemporal satellite-based measurements of species-specific winter cover crop performance. Multiple SWAT scenarios were developed to obtain baseline information on nitrate loading without winter cover crops and to investigate how nitrate loading could change under different winter cover crop planting scenarios, including different species, planting dates, and implementation areas. The simulation results indicate that winter cover crops have a negligible impact on the water budget but significantly reduce nitrate leaching to groundwater and delivery to the waterways. Without winter cover crops, annual nitrate loading from agricultural lands was approximately 14 kg ha−1, but decreased to 4.6–10.1 kg ha−1 with cover crops resulting in a reduction rate of 27–67% at the watershed scale. Rye was the most effective species, with a potential to reduce nitrate leaching by up to 93% with early planting at the field scale. Early planting of cover crops (~ 30 days of additional growing days) was crucial, as it lowered nitrate export by an additional ~ 2 kg ha−1 when compared to late planting scenarios. The effectiveness of cover cropping increased with increasing extent of cover crop implementation. Agricultural fields with well-drained soils and those that were more frequently used to grow corn had a higher potential for nitrate leaching and export to the waterways. This study supports the effective implementation of cover crop programs, in part by helping to target critical pollution source areas for cover crop implementation.

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