Effect of nitrogen fixing cover crops on fertility of apple (Malus domestica Borkh) orchard soils assessed in a chronosequence in North-West Himalaya of Kashmir valley, india

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Sofi ◽  
I. H. Dar ◽  
M. H. Chesti ◽  
I. A. Bisati ◽  
S. A. Mir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Apple Orchard ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Nitrogen Fixing ◽  
North West ◽  
West Himalaya ◽  
Orchard Soils

The aim of this work was to study the effect of nitrogen fixing cover crops on soil organic carbon fractions and nutrient status in apple orchard soils in a chronosequence in north-west Himalaya of Kashmir, India. The experiment include six phases of chronosequence (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50) years under three landscapes. Soil of lower altitudes with no cover crop grown in the orchard floor, the mid altitude soils with berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) as a cover crop and in the higher altitudes with the alfalfa (Medicago sativa) grown as nitrogen fixing cover crop. There is a perceptible temperature difference across these landscapes. In addition to the apple yield and nutrients content, physical properties and soil organic fractions were investigated. Compared to the sites where no nitrogen fixing cover crops were grown there was 51% and 92% increase in the apple yield over other sites with inclusion of berseem and alfalfa. There was significant increase in yield up to 40 years and declined with advancement of stand age. Higher contents of all soil organic carbon pools were found in the higher altitudes with alfalfa grown as a cover crop in the orchard floor. Lower bulk densities were observed in the sites with cover crops grown in the apple orchard which might have synergistic role on nutrient cycling. There was significant increase of N, K, S, Mg, Fe and Mn and no discernible difference were observed for B, Cu, P and Zn. There was significant increase of the nutrients up to 40 years and afterwards significant drop was observed. Our result suggests that there was significant decrease of the nutrients from vertical soil depth of 0-90 cm.

Growth of Legume Cover Crops under Cassava and Its Effect on Soil Properties

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suwarto . ◽  
Retno Asih
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Moisture Content ◽  
Legume Cover Crops ◽  
Calopogonium Mucunoides ◽  
Legume Cover Crop

Background: Low soil organic carbon is a constraint to cassava tuber formation. Some legume cover crops could be an alternative to provide organic matter on the cassava field as a source of soil organic carbon. The study was aimed to evaluate the growth of some legume cover crops under cassava and their effects on soil properties. Methods: During September 2017-July 2018 legume cover crops (Calopogonium mucunoides, Centrosema pubescens, Pueraria javanica and the mixed) were planted under cassava variety of Mangu and UJ-5. The land coverage by the legume cover crops was measured monthly from 2 to 10 months after planting. Cassava growth was observed weekly from 8 to 32 weeks after planting. Soil properties were analyzed before planting and at harvesting of cassava. Result: Pueraria javanica was tolerant toward cassava shading. The land coverage was linearly increased along with the growth of cassava. At the end of cassava growth, the land area coverage by this legume cover crop was 98.08%. It produced more organic matter and could maintain soil moisture content than other legume cover crops. P. javanica could consider being a suitable legume cover crop under cassava to improve soil quality.

Potential soil organic carbon sequestration with cover crops in German croplands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Seitz ◽  
Lisa Mareen Fischer ◽  
Rene Dechow ◽  
Axel Don
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Crop Rotations ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Crop Cultivation ◽  
Seeding Date ◽  
Sequestration Potential

<p>Cover crops have been suggested to preserve or even increase the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in croplands which can contribute to soil fertility and climate change mitigation. Cover crop cultivation increased in most European countries during the last years. However, it remains unquantified how many additional cover crops can be integrated into existing crop rotations. Moreover, there are no realistic quantitative estimates of the SOC sequestration potential of implementing additional cover crops in Germany.</p><p>We analyzed recent German crop rotations obtained from the first German Agricultural Soil Inventory for available cultivation windows (winter fallows) for cover crops, and we simulated the SOC sequestration potential of additional cover crops in the topsoil using a SOC model ensemble consisting of RothC and C-TOOL. In order to estimate a reasonable carbon input via the cover crops’ biomass, we developed a new allometric function which takes the effect of the weather and the seeding date on the development of the biomass into account.</p><p>Our study shows that only one third of the cultivation windows are currently used for cultivating cover crops. Thus, the cover crops’ cultivation area could be tripled with additional 2 Mio ha each year. With these additional cover crops, the annual C input could be increased by 12% from 3.68 to 4.13 Mg C ha<sup>-1</sup> a<sup>-1</sup>. Within 50 years, this would result in 35 Tg more SOC in the top 30cm of German croplands which corresponds to 2.6 Tg CO<sub>2</sub> equivalents per year. Despite the dry weather conditions, a considerably large increase in SOC can be achieved in the eastern regions of Germany due to a low current cover crop cultivation frequency. However, the limited water availability during the time of cover crop establishment may require undersowing.</p><p>We conclude that including cover crops in crop rotations and consequently avoiding bare fallow in winter is a key measure in a climate mitigation strategy for managing cropland soils, and we will discuss the benefits and barriers of growing cover crops in Germany and Europe.</p>

Nitrogen-Fixing Cover Crops and Chronosequential Effects on Fertility of Apple Orchard Soils

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
J. Ahmad Sofi ◽  
R. K. Rattan ◽  
Ashraf A. Wani ◽  
Shakeel A. Mir ◽  
I. Hassan Dar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Apple Orchard ◽  
Nitrogen Fixing ◽  
Orchard Soils

scholarly journals Soil Organic Carbon Stocks in Afforested Agricultural Land in Lithuanian Hemiboreal Forest Zone

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1562
Author(s):  
Iveta Varnagirytė-Kabašinskienė ◽  
Povilas Žemaitis ◽  
Kęstutis Armolaitis ◽  
Vidas Stakėnas ◽  
Gintautas Urbaitis
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Soc Stock ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Soc Stocks ◽  
Topsoil Layer

In the context of the specificity of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in afforested land, nutrient-poor Arenosols and nutrient-rich Luvisols after afforestation with coniferous and deciduous tree species were studied in comparison to the same soils of croplands and grasslands. This study analysed the changes in SOC stock up to 30 years after afforestation of agricultural land in Lithuania, representing the cool temperate moist climate region of Europe. The SOC stocks were evaluated by applying the paired-site design. The mean mass and SOC stocks of the forest floor in afforested Arenosols increased more than in Luvisols. Almost twice as much forest floor mass was observed in coniferous than in deciduous stands 2–3 decades after afforestation. The mean bulk density of fine (<2 mm) soil in the 0–30 cm mineral topsoil layer of croplands was higher than in afforested sites and grasslands. The clear decreasing trend in mean bulk density due to forest stand age with the lowest values in the 21–30-year-old stands was found in afforested Luvisols. In contrast, the SOC concentrations in the 0–30 cm mineral topsoil layer, especially in Luvisols afforested with coniferous species, showed an increasing trend due to the influence of stand age. The mean SOC values in the 0–30 cm mineral topsoil layer of Arenosols and Luvisols during the 30 years after afforestation did not significantly differ from the adjacent croplands or grasslands. The mean SOC stock slightly increased with the forest stand age in Luvisols; however, the highest mean SOC stock was detected in the grasslands. In the Arenosols, there was higher SOC accumulation in the forest floor with increasing stand age than in the Luvisols, while the proportion of SOC stocks in mineral topsoil layers was similar and more comparable to grasslands. These findings suggest encouragement of afforestation of former agricultural land under the current climate and soil characteristics in the region, but the conversion of perennial grasslands to forest land should be done with caution.

scholarly journals Cover Crop Impact on Soil Organic Carbon, Nitrogen Dynamics and Microbial Diversity in a Mediterranean Semiarid Vineyard

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agata Novara ◽  
Valentina Catania ◽  
Marco Tolone ◽  
Luciano Gristina ◽  
Vito Armando Laudicina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Intergenic Spacer ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Nitrate Content ◽  
Relevant Effect ◽  
Management Protocol

Cover crop (CC) management in vineyards increases sustainability by improving soil chemical and biological fertility, but knowledge on its effects in semiarid soils is lacking. This study evaluated the effect of leguminous CC management on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, soil nitrate content and microbial diversity in a semiarid vineyard, in comparison to conventional tillage (CT). SOC and nitrate were monitored during vine-growing season; soil respiration, determined by incubation experiments, microbial biomass and diversity was analyzed after CC burial. The microbial diversity was evaluated by bacterial and fungal automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and high-throughput sequencing of 16SrDNA. CC increased nitrate content and, although it had no relevant effect on SOC, almost doubled its active microbial component, which contributes to SOC stabilization. An unexpected stability of the microbial communities under different soil managements was assessed, fungal diversity being slightly enhanced under CT while bacterial diversity increased under CC. The complete nitrifying genus Nitrospira and plant growth-promoting genera were increased under CC, while desiccation-tolerant genera were abundant in CT. Findings showed that temporary CC applied in semiarid vineyards does not optimize the provided ecosystem services, hence a proper management protocol for dry environments should be set up.

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