Morphostructural characterization of soil conventionally tilled with mechanized and animal traction with and without cover crop

The structural stability and restructuring ability of a soil are related to the methods of crop management and soil preparation. A recommended strategy to reduce the effects of soil preparation is to use crop rotation and cover crops that help conserve and restore the soil structure. The aim of this study was to evaluate and quantify the homogeneous morphological units in soil under conventional mechanized tillage and animal traction, as well as to assess the effect on the soil structure of intercropping with jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis L.). Profiles were analyzed in April of 2006, in five counties in the Southern-Central region of Paraná State (Brazil), on family farms producing maize (Zea mays L.), sometimes intercropped with jack bean. The current structures in the crop profile were analyzed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and subsequently principal component analysis (PCA) to generate statistics. Morphostructural soil analysis showed a predominance of compact units in areas of high-intensity cultivation under mechanized traction. The cover crop did not improve the structure of the soil with low porosity and compact units that hamper the root system growth. In areas exposed to animal traction, a predominance of cracked units was observed, where roots grew around the clods and along the gaps between them.

Download Full-text

Strategies to terminate summer cover crops for weed management in no-tillage vegetable production in southeast Brazil

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/wsc.2021.58 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-26

Author(s):

Roberto Botelho Ferraz Branco ◽

Fernando de Carvalho ◽

João Paulo de Oliveira ◽

Pedro Luis da Costa Alves

Keyword(s):

Pearl Millet ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Weed Management ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Weed Suppression ◽

No Tillage ◽

Weed Biomass ◽

Jack Bean ◽

Organic Mulch ◽

Sunn Hemp

Abstract Cover crop residue left on the soil surface as organic mulch in no-tillage crop production provides several environmental benefits, including weed suppression. Thus, many farmers who use cover crops attempt to reduce the use of agricultural inputs, especially herbicides. Therefore, our objectives were to study the potential of different cover crop species to suppress weeds and produce an in situ organic mulch, and evaluate the effect of the organic mulch with and without spraying glyphosate on weed suppression for vegetable (tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. and broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) growth and yield. Five cover crop treatments (sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), jack bean [Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.], pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.], grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. bicolor] and a no-cover crop (control)) were used in the main plots; and spraying or no spraying glyphosate on the flattened cover crop in the sub plots of split-plot experimental design. Organic mulch from pearl millet, sorghum and sunn hemp resulted in lower weed biomass during the early season of both tomato and broccoli than jack bean and no-cover crop (control). Spraying glyphosate after roller crimping reduced weed biomass by 103 g m−2 and 20 g m−2 by 45 and 60 days after transplanting (DAT) of tomato, respectively and resulted in a better tomato yield compared to non spraying. Glyphosate reduced weed biomass by 110 g m−2 in the early season of broccoli (30 DAT), but did not affect yield. Terminating high biomass cover crops with a roller crimper is a promising technique for weed management in vegetable crops, which has the potential to reduce or even eliminate the need for herbicide.

Download Full-text

Effects of Organic Fertilization and Cover Crops on an Organic Pepper System

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.18.2.215 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 215-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

K. Delate ◽

C. Cambardella ◽

A. McKern

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Production ◽

Large Scale ◽

Soil Analysis ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

The United States ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Organic Farm

With the continuing 20% growth rate in the organic industry, organic vegetable crop production has increased to 98,525 acres in the United States. The requirement for certified organic vegetable producers to implement a soil-building plan has led to the development of soil fertility systems based on combinations of organic fertilizers and cover crops. To determine optimal soil fertility combinations, conventional and organic bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) production was evaluated from 2001 to 2003 in Iowa, comparing combinations of two synthetic fertilizers and three compost-based organic fertilizers, and a cover crop treatment of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and rye (Secale cereale) in a strip-tilled or fully incorporated cover crop system. Organic pepper growth and yields equaled or surpassed conventional production when nitrogen (N) was provided at 56 or 112 kg·ha−1 from compost-based organic fertilizer. Soil analysis revealed higher N in plots where cover crops were tilled compared with strip-tilled plots, leading to recommendations for sidedressing N in strip-tilled organic pepper production. Increased incidence of disease was also detected in strip-tilled plots. Postharvest weight loss after 6 weeks in storage was similar in organic and conventional peppers. The addition of calcium and sulfur products in conventional or organic fertilizer regimes did not increase pepper production or postharvest storage potential. Despite application challenges, cover crops will remain as critical components of the organic farm plan for their soil-building benefits, but supplementation with approved N sources may be required for optimal pepper production. Organic growers should conduct their own tests of organic-compliant soil amendments to determine cost effectiveness and value for their site before large-scale application.

Download Full-text

Comparative study of soil properties under various cultivation regimes of different crops

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr11126 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 49 (7) ◽

pp. 595 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Binh Thanh Nguyen ◽

Hai Thien Hoa ◽

Van Thi Hong Ngo ◽

Tra Thanh Duong ◽

Brian R. Wilson

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Aggregate Stability ◽

Principal Component ◽

The Other ◽

P Availability ◽

Soil C ◽

Brachiaria Ruziziensis

Establishment of cover crops is an effective way to reverse the soil fertility decline, which can be caused by a range of inappropriate traditional agriculture practices, particularly tillage and inorganic fertiliser application. In this study, soil properties were assessed under various cultivation regimes of different crops, including legumes, grass, and nursery natural rubber (NR) trees (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.), in southern Vietnam. The crops studied had all been growing for 7 years commencing in 1999, on light-textured Acrisols. Soils under the cultivation regime of creeping legumes including Calopogonium caeruleum, Pueraria phaseoloides, and Stylosanthes gracilis had significantly higher carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations and porosity than soils under the other management types studied. Soils under Brachiaria ruziziensis and P. phaseoloides had the highest aggregate stability. Cultivation regimes with tillage, field traffic, and inorganic fertilisers applied to nursery NR trees increased phosphorus (P) availability, but this was accompanied by increased soil compaction and reductions in most of the other soil properties analysed. Relative to the nursery NR cultivation, creeping-legume cultivation increased soil C concentration (by 95%), soil pHH2O (by 19%), macro-aggregates (by 29%), and porosity (by 8%). From principal component analysis, three soil properties—soil organic carbon (SOC), porosity, and P availability—were selected as key indicators suitable for the evaluation of the effects of cultivation on soils. Establishment of C. caeruleum and B. ruziziensis was most effective in improving soil C content, and soil porosity was significantly higher under C. caeruleum and P. phaseoloides. These findings suggest that each cover crop had its own dominant agro-characteristics and that selection of a cover crop to either improve soil fertility or reduce compaction should be considered by farmers in this region.

Download Full-text

Management of Nematodes with Cowpea Cover Crops

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-in516-2004 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 2004 (13) ◽

Author(s):

Koon-Hui Wang ◽

Robert McSorley

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Structure ◽

Plant Pathogens ◽

Animal Feed ◽

Cooperative Extension Service ◽

University Of Florida ◽

Cash Crops ◽

Farm Crop ◽

On Farm

Cover crops are crops grown between cash crop cycles, or crops intercropped with cash crops to cover the ground, such as in vegetable fields, orchards, groves, and agricultural sites. If used appropriately, cover crops can improve soil structure and fertility, decrease soil erosion, provide foliage and animal feed, and suppress crop pests such as weeds, insects, nematodes, and other plant pathogens. Residues from cover crops can be incorporated as green manure to supply nutrients and improve fertility for the next crop. Using cover crops can increase on-farm crop diversity, may enhance many beneficial organisms, and possibly even contribute to carbon sequestration. One good example of a cover crop is cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. This document is ENY-712, one of a series of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Date first printed: August 2004. ENY-712/IN516: Management of Nematodes with Cowpea Cover Crops (ufl.edu)

Download Full-text

Decomposition of cover crop mulch and weed control under a no-till system for organic maize

Bioscience Journal ◽

10.14393/bj-v35n5a2019-41836 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Lamara Freitas Brito ◽

João Carlos Cardoso Galvão ◽

Jeferson Giehl ◽

Steliane Pereira Coellho ◽

Silvane de Almeida Campos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Block Design ◽

Organic Production ◽

Weed Suppression ◽

Production Model ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Weed Biomass ◽

Jack Bean ◽

White Lupine

The decomposition dynamics of cover crop mulch influence the nutrient supply of successor crops and weed suppression. This is even more relevant in organic production systems, due to their limited use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides. As such, the aim of this study was to quantify biomass production, model the decomposition and N, P and K release of the mulch of different cover crops, and assess the weed suppression of cover crops in the form of mulch and in consortium with organic maize. A randomized block design was used, with a 7x2 factorial scheme (7 cover crop management strategies and 2 cropping systems - maize in monoculture and intercropped with jack bean) and 4 replicates. The management practices that produced the most biomass were white lupine intercropped with black oat and the white lupine, black oat and sunflower monocultures. The use of cover crops did not differ from manual weeding in terms of weed biomass, but did affect the relative importance (RI) of nutgrass. Additionally, maize intercropped with jack bean reduced weed biomass in subsequent crop growth stages.

Download Full-text

Generic monitoring tools for water characteristics assessment

Water Science & Technology Water Supply ◽

10.2166/ws.2003.0124 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 3 (1-2) ◽

pp. 351-357

Author(s):

S. Le Bonté ◽

M.-N. Pons ◽

O. Potier ◽

S. Chanel ◽

M. Baklouti

Keyword(s):

Municipal Wastewater ◽

Principal Component ◽

Toxic Substances ◽

Capacity Curves ◽

Water Characteristics ◽

Monitoring Tools ◽

Visible Spectra ◽

On Line ◽

Mining Procedure

An adaptive principal component analysis applied to sets of data provided by global analytical methods (UV-visible spectra, buffer capacity curves, respirometric tests) is proposed as a generic procedure for on-line and fast characterization of wastewater. The data-mining procedure is able to deal with a large amount of information, takes into account the normal variations of wastewater composition related to human activity, and enables a rapid detection of abnormal situations such as the presence of toxic substances by comparison of the actual wastewater state with a continuously updated reference. The procedure has been validated on municipal wastewater.

Download Full-text

Biological fixation, transfer and balance of nitrogen in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) orchard intercropped with different green manure crops

Australian Journal of Crop Science ◽

10.21475/ajcs.19.13.03.p1559 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 ((03) 2019) ◽

pp. 465-471 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Edilândia Farias Dantas ◽

Ana Dolores Santiago de Freitas ◽

Maria do Carmo Catanho Pereira de Lyra ◽

Carolina Etienne de Rosália e Silva Santos ◽

Stella Jorge de Carvalho Neta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Pigeon Pea ◽

Passion Fruit ◽

Biological Fixation ◽

Mineral Fertilization ◽

Passiflora Edulis ◽

Jack Bean ◽

Positive Balance ◽

Sunn Hemp ◽

Passiflora Edulis Sims

Green manures can replace or supplement mineral fertilization and add organic matter to the soils, ensuring greater sustainability to fruit growing in semiarid regions. Biological fixation, transfer and balance of nitrogen were determined on an irrigated yellow passion fruit orchard (Passiflora edulis Sims) intercropped separately with three cover crops: sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea (L.); pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill; and jack bean, Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC. In a fourth treatment, legumes were not planted, but spontaneous vegetation was left to grow freely. The legumes were croped for 90 days in three lines (0.5 m apart) inside the passion fruit plant lines (2.5 m apart). Fixation and transfers were determined by the 15N natural abundance technique, using sunflower as a reference plant. The three planted legumes nodulated abundantly and fixed nitrogen in high proportions (between 50 and 90% of their N), forming symbiosis with bacteria naturally established in the soil. Jack bean produced more biomass than sunn hemp and pigeon pea, and as much as the spontaneous plants, of which 23% were legumes. The amounts of fixed N (150, 43, 30 and 29 kg ha-1) were determined mainly by the biomass of legumes. More than 40% of the N of passion fruit plants came from the biological nitrogen fixation of the intercropped jack bean, which provided an amount of N higher than that exported in the fruits, generating a positive balance of more than 100 kg ha-1. Therefore, it is recommended to intercrop jack bean in irrigated passion fruit orchards.

Download Full-text

A Methodology Based on FT-IR Data Combined with Random Forest Model to Generate Spectralprints for the Characterization of High-Quality Vinegars

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10061411 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1411

Author(s):

José Luis P. Calle ◽

Marta Ferreiro-González ◽

Ana Ruiz-Rodríguez ◽

Gerardo F. Barbero ◽

José Á. Álvarez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Random Forest ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Principal Component ◽

Hierarchical Cluster ◽

Raw Material ◽

Support Vector ◽

Protected Designation Of Origin ◽

Ft Ir

Sherry wine vinegar is a Spanish gourmet product under Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Before a vinegar can be labeled as Sherry vinegar, the product must meet certain requirements as established by its PDO, which, in this case, means that it has been produced following the traditional solera and criadera ageing system. The quality of the vinegar is determined by many factors such as the raw material, the acetification process or the aging system. For this reason, mainly producers, but also consumers, would benefit from the employment of effective analytical tools that allow precisely determining the origin and quality of vinegar. In the present study, a total of 48 Sherry vinegar samples manufactured from three different starting wines (Palomino Fino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximénez wine) were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data were combined with unsupervised exploratory techniques such as hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), as well as other nonparametric supervised techniques, namely, support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF), for the characterization of the samples. The HCA and PCA results present a clear grouping trend of the vinegar samples according to their raw materials. SVM in combination with leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) successfully classified 100% of the samples, according to the type of wine used for their production. The RF method allowed selecting the most important variables to develop the characteristic fingerprint (“spectralprint”) of the vinegar samples according to their starting wine. Furthermore, the RF model reached 100% accuracy for both LOOCV and out-of-bag (OOB) sets.

Download Full-text

Cover Crop Contributions to Improve the Soil Nitrogen and Carbon Sequestration in Almond Orchards (SW Spain)

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11020387 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 387

Author(s):

Miguel A. Repullo-Ruibérriz de Torres ◽

Manuel Moreno-García ◽

Rafaela Ordóñez-Fernández ◽

Antonio Rodríguez-Lizana ◽

Belén Cárceles Rodríguez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Soil Nitrogen ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Nitrate Content ◽

Sw Spain ◽

Sequestration Potential ◽

Almond Orchards ◽

Shallow Soils

Almond (Prunus dulcis Mill. [D.A. Webb]) is the third most widely spread crop in Spain and has traditionally been cultivated in marginal areas and shallow soils under rainfed conditions. However, it recently has been progressively introduced in flat irrigated areas. The implementation of cover crops in the inter-rows of woody crops has been proven as a suitable strategy to reduce the runoff and soil erosion but they also can boost soil quality and health. A field experiment was conducted during two-monitoring seasons to examine the soil nitrogen and carbon sequestration potential of three seeded cover crops [barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and a mixture of 65% barley and 35% vetch] and a control of spontaneous flora in irrigated almond orchards (SW Spain). Here, we show that barley provided the highest biomass amount, followed by mixture covers, vetch, and the control treatment. Also, vetch covered the soil faster in the growing stage, but its residues were decomposed easier than barley and mixture treatments during the decomposition period after mowing, providing less soil protection when the risk of water erosion with autumn rainfall is high. On the other hand, vetch improved soil nitrate content by over 35% with respect to barley and mixture treatments at 0–20 cm soil depth throughout the studied period. In addition, a greater carbon input to the soil was determined in the barley plot. That is, the mixture and barley cover crops had higher potential for carbon sequestration, augmenting the soil organic carbon by more than 1.0 Mg ha−1 during the study period. Thus, taking into consideration the findings of the present experiment, the establishment of a seeded cover crop would be more advisable than spontaneous flora to mitigate soil erosion, enhancing soil fertility and carbon sequestration in irrigated almond plantations in Mediterranean semi-arid regions.

Download Full-text

Quantifying Root-Soil Interactions in Cover Crop Systems: A Review

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11030218 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 218

Author(s):

Cameron M. Ogilvie ◽

Waqar Ashiq ◽

Hiteshkumar B. Vasava ◽

Asim Biswas

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Formation ◽

Soil Physical Properties ◽

Nutrient Losses ◽

Complex Interactions ◽

Soil Ecosystems

Plant roots are an integral part of soil ecosystems and contribute to various services, including carbon and nutrient cycling, weathering, and soil formation. They also modify soil physical properties (e.g., soil water content, pore size distribution, and bulk density) and impact subsequent crops’ growth. Cover crops have been reported to improve soil and environmental quality by reducing nutrient losses, improving soil water content, and increasing soil organic matter. Understanding the complex interactions between cover crop roots and soil (RS) is of utmost importance. However, cover crop RS interactions have not been critically reviewed. In this article, we investigated the nature of cover crop physical RS interactions and explored the emerging technologies for their study. We also assessed technologies that may be readily applied to the study of physical RS interactions in cover crop systems and discussed ways to improve related research in the future.

Download Full-text