Soil nitrate N as influenced by annually undersown cover crops in spring cereals

Cover crops can reduce leaching and erosion, introduce variability into crop rotations and fix nitrogen (N) for use by the main crops. In Finland, undersowing is a suitable method for establishing cover crops in cereals. The effect of annual undersowing on soil nitrate N was studied at two sites. Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), a mixture of red clover and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), and westerwold ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. var. westerwoldicum) were undersown in spring cereals during six successive seasons, and a pure stand of cereal was grown in two years after that. In all years, the soil nitrate N was measured in late autumn, and in addition in different times of the season in last four years. The effect of undersowing on soil NO3-N content was generally low, but in one season when conditions favoured high N leaching, westerwold ryegrass decreased soil NO3-N. The negligible increase of N leaching risk in connection with undersowing clovers, associated with late autumn ploughing, supports the use of clovers to increase the cereal grain yield. The highest levels of soil NO3-N were recorded at sowing in spring irrespective of whether a crop was undersown or not. NO3-N contents were higher in sandy soil than in silt. Undersowing can be done annually in cereal cultivation either to fix or catch N. No cumulative effects on soil nitrate N were associated with undersowing after six years.;

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Effect of annually repeated undersowing on cereal grain yields

Agricultural and Food Science ◽

10.23986/afsci.5693 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 197-208 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

H. KÄNKÄNEN ◽

C. ERIKSSON ◽

M. RÄKKÖLÄINEN

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Red Clover ◽

Soil Mineral N ◽

Soil Mineral ◽

Meadow Fescue ◽

Mineral N ◽

N Content ◽

Grain Yields ◽

Cereal Grain

Cover crops can be used to reduce leaching and erosion, introduce variability into crop rotation and fix nitrogen (N) for use by the main crops. In Finland, undersowing is a suitable method for establishing cover crops in cereal cropping. The effect of annual undersowing on cereal grain yield and soil mineral N content in spring was studied at two sites. Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), a mixture of red clover and meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), and westerwold ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam. var. westerwoldicum) were undersown in spring cereals in the same plots in six successive seasons, and their effects on cereal yield were estimated. Annual undersowing with clovers increased, and undersowing with westerwold ryegrass decreased cereal grain yields. The grain yield was only slightly lower with a mixture of red clover and meadow fescue than with red clover alone. Westerwold ryegrass did not affect soil mineral N content in spring and the increase attributable to clovers was small. The mixture of red clover and meadow fescue affected similarly to pure red clover. Soil fertility was not notably improved during six years of undersowing according to grain yield two years later.

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Kernel mass of winter triticale depending on placing position in a spikelet and a spike, with regard to its productiveness

Acta Agrobotanica ◽

10.5586/aa.2004.017 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 57 (1-2) ◽

pp. 175-186

Author(s):

Tadeusz Zając ◽

Wiesław Szafrański ◽

Jacek Strojny

Keyword(s):

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Red Clover ◽

Grain Weight ◽

Medium Size ◽

Pure Stand ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Size Classes ◽

Winter Triticale ◽

Size Groups ◽

Spring Cereals

The investigations were carried outin 1996-1997 on degraded chernozem developed from loess. The winter triticale cv. 'Presto' cultivated after 4 forecrops (spring cereals with red clover undersown and triticale in pure stand). Studied were correlation between the number of spikeIets and kernels and their placing position in a spike and spikelet, and the grain weight from three spike size groups. The number of productive spikelets per spike and fertility of inflorescence per spikelet, measured as a number of kernels, were the biggest in big spikes group. Kernels placed in positions 1 and 2 in a kernel had the biggest mass, whereas the kernels developed from the inflorescence in positions 3 and 4 were conspicuous for their smaller mass, particularly in the small and medium-size spike groups. The analysis of correlation coefficient values revealed that grain weight per spike was strongly correlated with the number of kernels per spike in all determined size classes. Also a significant effect of single kemel weight on yield per spike was noticed, but the coefficient value was lower (r=0.30). Spikelets in positions from 3 to 7 level (on both sides of spike) had the greatest share in grain weight per spike for the smallest spike group, whereas for medium- size and big spikes respectively spikelets in positions 3 through 9 and 2 through 10.

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Guiding cover crop establishment to scavenge residual soil nitrate nitrogen using site-specific approaches

Advances in Animal Biosciences ◽

10.1017/s2040470017000796 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 293-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J. H. Grove ◽

E. M. Pena-Yewtukhiw

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

N Recovery ◽

Residual Soil ◽

Soil Nitrate ◽

Winter Cereal ◽

Site Specific ◽

Nitrate N ◽

N Concentration ◽

N Removal ◽

Yield Map

There is evidence that well managed winter cereal cover crops can scavenge a goodly amount of post summer cereal harvest residual nitrogen (N), reducing nitrate-N losses to leaching or runoff. The objective of this study was to compare nitrate-N phytoremediation areas derived from five sources of information: site specific, non-site specific, or a combination. The non-site specific source was a single “composite” soil nitrate sample. The site specific sources were: a) a dense soil nitrate-N grid sampling; and b) a N removal map calculated from yield and grain N concentration, both determined at the same grid density as soil nitrate-N. The source combinations were: a) a yield map and a single grain N concentration value taken from published information; and b) a yield map and a single field “composite” grain N concentration value. The results indicated that the published grain N value was inferior to measured grain N values, and that the maize (Zea mays L.) yield map best serves as a stratification tool, delineating similar crop performance areas. Random soil sampling within those areas further optimizes residual nitrate-N recovery management. Site specific technologies can guide establishment of N scavenging cover crops to simultaneously improve resource use efficiency and water quality.

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Evaluating Different Catch Crop Strategies for Closing the Nitrogen Cycle in Cropping Systems—Field Experiments and Modelling

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13010394 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 394

Author(s):

Matthias Böldt ◽

Friedhelm Taube ◽

Iris Vogeler ◽

Thorsten Reinsch ◽

Christof Kluß ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

N Uptake ◽

Red Clover ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Grain Legume ◽

Winter Period ◽

N Leaching ◽

Catch Crops ◽

Cereal Grain

For arable stockless farming systems, the integration of catch crops (CC) during the fallow period might be a key for closing the nitrogen (N) cycle, reducing N leaching and increasing the transfer of N to the subsequent crop. However, despite considerable research efforts, the fate of N in such integrated systems remains unclear. To address this, a two-year field experiment was carried out in northern Germany with different CC, including frost-tolerant and frost-killed CC. The experiment started following a two-year ryegrass/red clover ley, which was subsequently sown with a cereal (CE) or a grain legume (field pea, PE). This provided two contrasting systems with high residual N in autumn. The results showed high N uptake of the CC, ranging from 84 to 136 kg N ha−1 with PE as the pre-crop, and from 33 to 110 kg N ha−1 with CE. All CC reduced N leaching compared with the control, a bare fallow over autumn/winter. Of the various CC, the frost-killed CC showed higher leaching compared with the other CCs, indicating mineralisation of the CC residue in the later autumn/winter period. The process based APSIM (Agricultural Production SIMulator) model was used to simulate N cycling for a cereal grain legume rotation, including a frost-killed and a frost resistant CC. While the model simulated the biomass and the N uptake by the crops, as well as the reduction of N leaching with the use of CC well, it under-estimated N leaching from the frost-killed CC. The study showed that all CC were affective at reducing N leaching, but winter hard catch crops should be preferred, as there is a risk of increased leaching following the mineralisation of residues from frost-killed CC.

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Combining Legume Groundcovers and Low Nitrogen Fertilization in a Short-rotation Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri) Cropping System: Effect on Productivity, Soil Fertility, and Nutrient Leaching

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.46.3.481 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 481-486 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yingqian Lin ◽

Alexa R. Wilson ◽

Pascal Nzokou

Keyword(s):

White Clover ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Growth Response ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

N Leaching ◽

Abies Fraseri ◽

Nitrate N ◽

Legume Cover Crops

High rates of inorganic fertilizers are used in conventional intensive production systems such as Abies fraseri (fraser fir) cropping systems for Christmas trees. Groundcovers can be used as green mulches, help reduce the use of farm chemicals, and provide several environmental benefits. We investigated the performance of a low-input cropping system by combining two legume cover crops [Dutch white clover (Trifolium repens) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa)] in combination with low rates of inorganic fertilizers as a step toward a more sustainable production system. The randomized block design comprised one cover crop and one of three applications of reduced rate inorganic fertilizer (75%, 50%, and 25% of the recommended rate). A conventional system using herbicides for weed control and the 100% rate of inorganic fertilizer was used as a control. Parameters measured included tree morphology, foliar nitrogen concentration, soil mineral nitrogen, and nitrate-N leaching below the root zone. A significant positive growth response (height and diameter) was obtained in all alfalfa-based cropping systems. This was accompanied by foliar nutrient concentrations similar to conventional plots and a reduction in nitrate-N leaching. However, in white clover-based cropping systems, the growth response was reduced (both height and diameter), suggesting competition for soil resources. In addition, the total nitrate-N leaching was higher in this system, suggesting an imbalance between mineral nitrogen availability and use in white clover-based cropping systems. We conclude that if the potential competition between cover crops and trees can be properly managed, legume cover crops can be effectively used to make intensive production tree-based systems more sustainable. Further studies related to mineralization and macronutrient flows are needed before any definite recommendation can be made about the use of these systems in large-scale production systems.

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Improving Soil Quality and Potato Productivity with Manure and High-Residue Cover Crops in Eastern Canada

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10071436 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1436

Author(s):

Judith Nyiraneza ◽

Dahu Chen ◽

Tandra Fraser ◽

Louis-Pierre Comeau

Keyword(s):

Sorghum Bicolor ◽

Pearl Millet ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Red Clover ◽

Potato Yield ◽

Soil Nitrate ◽

Soil N ◽

Manure Application ◽

N Supply ◽

Supply Capacity

Under intensive low residue agricultural systems, such as those involving potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)-based systems, stagnant crop yields and declining soil health and environmental quality are common issues. This study evaluated the effects of pen-pack cow (Bos Taurus) manure application (20 Mg·ha−1) and cover crops on nitrate dynamics and soil N supply capacity, subsequent potato yield, selected soil properties, and soil-borne disease. Eight cover crops were tested and included grasses, legumes, or a mixture of legumes and grasses, with red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) used as a control. Forage pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) was associated with highest dry matter. On average, red clover had 88% higher total N accumulation than the treatments mixing grasses and legumes, and the former was associated with higher soil nitrate in fall before residue incorporation and overwinter, but this was not translated into increased potato yields. Pearl millet and sorghum sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor × sorghum bicolor var. Sudanese) were associated with lower soil nitrate in comparison to red clover while being associated with higher total potato yield and lower numerical value of root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus penetrans), although this was not statistically significant at 5% probability level. Manure incorporation increased total and marketable yield by 28% and 26%, respectively, and increased soil N supply capacity by an average of 44%. Carbon dioxide released after a short incubation as a proxy of soil microbial respiration increased by an average of 27% with manure application. Our study quantified the positive effect of manure application and high-residue cover crops on soil quality and potato yield for the province of Prince Edward Island.

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Suppression of couch grass by Italian ryegrass and broad red clover undersown in barley and field beans

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600026666 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 123-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

G. V. Dyke ◽

A. J. Barnard

Keyword(s):

Red Clover ◽

Italian Ryegrass ◽

Couch Grass ◽

Late Autumn ◽

Rapid Spread ◽

Spring Cereals ◽

Field Beans

SummaryFour annual experiments were carried out on the control of couch grass by undersowing barley and field beans with Italian ryegrass and broad red clover. Pieces of couch grass rhizome 15 cm long were planted in the plots in spring and lifted in late autumn. Couch grass grew more under beans than under barley. Undersowing lessened the growth by a factor of two under barley and by a larger factor under beans, although the total amount of couch lifted from under beans was greater than under barley. Undersowing spring cereals can appreciably retard the spread of couch grass and prevent its rapid spread after harvest if cultivation or spraying is delayed.

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Glyphosate application and timing of tillage of red clover affects potato response to N, soil N profile, and root and soil nematodes

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s98-028 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 65-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

J. B. Sanderson ◽

J. A. MacLeod ◽

J. Kimpinski

Keyword(s):

Sandy Loam ◽

Potato Crop ◽

Red Clover ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Soil Nematodes ◽

Soil Nitrate ◽

Nitrate N ◽

Late Fall ◽

Early Fall ◽

N Rates

The effects of glyphosate application and time of tillage of red clover on soil NO3-N profiles, the response of the subsequent potato crop to varying rates of N fertilizer application, and root and soil nematodes, were evaluated. The study was conducted over three cropping seasons on a Charlottetown fine sandy loam on Prince Edward Island. Red clover was moldboard ploughed in mid-September (early fall), or moldboard or chisel ploughed in mid-October (late fall), or moldboard ploughed in the spring. Glyphosate was applied in early fall and the dead clover was moldboard or chisel ploughed in mid-October or left undisturbed until spring. A barley control, where barley was harvested and straw incorporated with a tandem disc harrow in early September, was included. Potato were planted with 6 rates of N (0 to 250 kg ha–1 in 50-kg increments) band applied at planting. The barley control treatment produced lower potato yield without fertilizer N in all 3 yr of the study compared to red clover treatments, but potato yields were similar at high rates of applied N. Potato tuber yields after spring moldboard ploughing of red clover were higher at low N rates and lower at high N rates than yields after late fall treatment in one year of the study. Concentrations of nitrate-N in the soil in mid-November were highest following the early fall moldboard ploughing and lowest in the undisturbed clover plots. Fall soil nitrate-N levels were intermediate following the glyphosate application and late fall tillages. Early spring soil nitrate-N levels in the surface 30 cm were generally highest with the spring and late fall tillage and lowest with the early fall tillage. Levels of nitrate-N in potato petioles increased with increased rates of N application and generally increased as tillage of the red clover was delayed from early fall to late fall to spring. In general, cultivation and the application of glyphosate did not affect soil and root nematode populations. In two instances, the moldboard plough tillage treatments were associated with higher levels of the clover-cyst nematode, Heterodera trifolii. One of the tillage treatments was combined with glyphosate, but this was the only case where the herbicide had an impact on nematodes. To maximize the benefits to the subsequent potato crop and to minimize leaching of nitrate, incorporation of legume residue should be delayed until the rate of mineralization and nitrification of the legume N is minimized. It is suggested that incorporation of red clover be delayed until after mid-October for clover–potato systems on PEI. Key words: Glyphosate, nematodes, nitrate leaching, petiole nitrate-N, potato, soil nitrate-N, tillage time

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NLEAP Computer Model and Multiple Linear Regression Prediction of Nitrate Leaching in Vegetable Systems

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.12.2.250 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 250-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hudson Minshew ◽

John Selker ◽

Delbert Hemphill ◽

Richard P. Dick

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Multiple Linear Regression ◽

Nitrate Leaching ◽

Cover Crops ◽

N Uptake ◽

N Leaching ◽

Residual Soil ◽

Vegetable Crops ◽

Crop N Uptake ◽

Mlr Model

Predicting leaching of residual soil nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) in wet climates is important for reducing risks of groundwater contamination and conserving soil N. The goal of this research was to determine the potential to use easily measurable or readily available soilclimatic-plant data that could be put into simple computer models and used to predict NO3 leaching under various management systems. Two computer programs were compared for their potential to predict monthly NO3-N leaching losses in western Oregon vegetable systems with or without cover crops. The models were a statistical multiple linear regression (MLR) model and the commercially available Nitrate Leaching and Economical Analysis Package model (NLEAP 1.13). The best MLR model found using stepwise regression to predict annual leachate NO3-N had four independent variables (log transformed fall soil NO3-N, leachate volume, summer crop N uptake, and N fertilizer rate) (P < 0.001, R2 = 0.57). Comparisons were made between NLEAP and field data for mass of NO3-N leached between the months of September and May from 1992 to 1997. Predictions with NLEAP showed greater correlation to observed data during high-rainfall years compared to dry or averagerainfall years. The model was found to be sensitive to yield estimates, but vegetation management choices were limiting for vegetable crops and for systems that included a cover crop.

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The implications of lag times between nitrate leaching losses and riverine loads for water quality policy

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-95302-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

R. W. McDowell ◽

Z. P. Simpson ◽

A. G. Ausseil ◽

Z. Etheridge ◽

R. Law

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Mean Transit Time ◽

Lag Time ◽

Practice Change ◽

N Leaching ◽

N Losses ◽

Leaching Losses ◽

Nitrate N ◽

The Mean ◽

Lag Times

AbstractUnderstanding the lag time between land management and impacts on riverine nitrate–nitrogen (N) loads is critical to understand when action to mitigate nitrate–N leaching losses from the soil profile may start improving water quality. These lags occur due to leaching of nitrate–N through the subsurface (soil and groundwater). Actions to mitigate nitrate–N losses have been mandated in New Zealand policy to start showing improvements in water quality within five years. We estimated annual rates of nitrate–N leaching and annual nitrate–N loads for 77 river catchments from 1990 to 2018. Lag times between these losses and riverine loads were determined for 34 catchments but could not be determined in other catchments because they exhibited little change in nitrate–N leaching losses or loads. Lag times varied from 1 to 12 years according to factors like catchment size (Strahler stream order and altitude) and slope. For eight catchments where additional isotope and modelling data were available, the mean transit time for surface water at baseflow to pass through the catchment was on average 2.1 years less than, and never greater than, the mean lag time for nitrate–N, inferring our lag time estimates were robust. The median lag time for nitrate–N across the 34 catchments was 4.5 years, meaning that nearly half of these catchments wouldn’t exhibit decreases in nitrate–N because of practice change within the five years outlined in policy.

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