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

Agronomy ◽  
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.

Plantation Agriculture in the Tropics

2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred E. Hartemink
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Fertility Decline ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Perennial Crops ◽  
Tropical Countries ◽  
Plantation Agriculture ◽  
National Economies

Plantation agriculture is more than 400 years old and contributes to the regional and national economies in many tropical countries. This paper reviews some of the main environmental issues related to plantation agriculture with perennial crops, including soil erosion, soil fertility decline, pollution, carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Soil erosion and soil fertility decline are of concern in some areas, but in most plantations these are being checked by cover crops and inorganic fertilizer applications. Few studies have been conducted on the issue of carbon sequestration under perennial plantation cropping. Reductions in deforestation yield much greater benefits for a reduction in CO2 emissions than expanding plantation agriculture. The biggest threat to biodiversity is the loss of habitat through expansion of the plantation area. Despite the environmental problems and concerns, this review has shown that crop yields of most perennial crops have increased over time due to improved crop husbandry including high-yielding cultivars and improved soil management. It is likely that more attention will be given to the environmental aspects of plantation cropping due to the increasing environmental awareness in tropical countries.

scholarly journals Perbandingan Arachis pintoi dengan Tanaman Kacang-kacangan Penutup Tanah Lain dalam Menekan Laju Erosi pada Lahan Kelapa Sawit Berbukit

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-96
Author(s):  
Arif Sarjono ◽  
Dwi Guntoro ◽  
Dan Supijatno
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Land Preparation ◽  
Arachis Pintoi ◽  
Calopogonium Mucunoides

Land preparation of oil palm plantation in hilly areas is vulnerable to environmental degradation. Legume cover crops can be used in vegetation system for soil conservation to control erotion. Arachis pintoi is a legume potential for cover crop. The objective of the research was to study the role of A. pintoi in suppressing soil erosion rate in oil palm land with the topography of hilly land. The research was conducted on the land of Bukit Kemuning farmer group, Mersam, Batanghari, Jambi with an average slope of 22.8% from September 2017 to March 2018. The experimental design used was a single-factor randomized complete block design with five treatments and four replications. The treatment consisted of natural vegetation, Arachis pintoi, Centrosema pubescens, Pueraria javanica and Calopogonium mucunoides. The results showed that the rate of increased leaf number of A. pintoi was 13.6 pieces per week and could cover the ground surface 100% at 20 weeks after planting (WAP). The dry weight of A. pintoi biomass was 496.08 g m-2 at 20 WAP. A. pintoi suppressed soil erosion by 80.45% as compared to natural vegetation treatment. However, it was not significantly different on suppression rates to other biomulch treatments.Keywords: biomass, Calopogonium mucunoides, Centrosema pubescens, land cover crop, Pueraria javanica

scholarly journals Carbon sequestration potential of Alnus nepalensis in the mid hill of Nepal: A case study from Kaski district

1970 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Ranabhat ◽  
KD Awasthi ◽  
R Malla
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Carbon Sequestration Potential ◽  
Alnus Nepalensis ◽  
Sequestration Potential ◽  
Shallow Soils ◽  
Different Parts

This study was carried out to analyze the carbon content in different parts of Alnus nepalensis, and to assess the effect of aspect and altitude in the carbon storage in Alnus nepalensis as well as to quantify the total carbon sequestration (stock) in Alnus nepalensis forest in the mid-hills of Kaski District. The inventory for estimating above and below ground biomass of forest was carried out using stratified random sampling technique. The carbon content in different parts of Alnus nepalensis was quantified using combustion method in the laboratory. For determining the soil carbon content, six soil profiles from each aspect were excavated and soil samples were taken from soil profile up to 1 m depth for deep soil and up to bedrock for shallow soils at the interval of 20 cm. Mean carbon content in stem, branches, leaves and bark of Alnus nepalensis were found to be 40.52%, 33%, 9.56% and 16.4%, respectively. Total biomass carbon sequestered in northern aspect was 30.20 t/ha while for southern aspect it was 39.00 t/ha. In both the aspects higher carbon sequestration was observed at an elevation range of 1200-1300m i.e. 34.8 t/ha and 45.6 t/ha in northern and southern aspects, respectively. Soil carbon sequestration in northern and southern aspects was found to be 113.4 t/ha and 169.30 t/ ha, respectively. The total carbon sequestration potential of Alnus nepalensis forest was estimated to be 186.05 t/ha. Key words: Alnus nepalensis, altitude, aspect, carbon sequestration, mid hills   doi: 10.3126/banko.v18i2.2167 Banko Janakari, Vol. 18, No. 2, 3-9

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>

scholarly journals Summer Cover Crops and Lettuce Planting Time Influence Weed Population, Soil Nitrogen Concentration, and Lettuce Yields

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Kruse ◽  
Ajay Nair
Keyword(s):  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Vegetable Crop ◽  
Lettuce Growth ◽  
Sorghum Sudangrass

Cover crops can be used as a sustainable weed management tool in crop production systems. Cover crops have the ability to suppress weeds, reduce soil erosion, increase soil organic matter, and improve soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. In the north-central region of the United States, including Iowa, much cover crop research has been conducted in row crop systems, mainly with corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) where cover crops are planted at the end of the growing season in September or October. There is little information available on the use of cover crops in vegetable cropping systems, particularly on the use of summer cover crops for fall vegetable production. The choice of the cover crop will significantly impact the entire fall vegetable production enterprise. Vegetable growers need information to identify the right cover crop for a particular slot in the cropping system and to understand how cover crops would affect weed suppression, soil properties, and successive vegetable crop yield. The time interval between cover crop termination and vegetable planting critically affects the growth and successive yield of the vegetable crop. This study investigated how short-duration summer cover crops impact weed suppression, soil properties, and ‘Adriana’ lettuce (Lactuca sativa) yield. The study also examined appropriate planting times of lettuce transplants after soil incorporation of cover crops. The experimental design was a randomized complete block split-plot design with four replications. Whole plots consisted of cover crop treatments: ‘Mancan’ buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), ‘Iron & Clay’ cowpea/southernpea (Vigna unguiculata), black oats (Avena strigosa), ‘Grazex II’ sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor ssp. drummondii), and a control (no-cover crop) where weeds were left to grow unchecked. The subplot treatment consisted of two lettuce transplanting times: planted immediately or 8 days after cover crop soil incorporation. Fall-planted butterhead lettuce was used. Data were collected on cover crop biomass, weed biomass, soil nutrient concentration, lettuce growth, and yield. All cover crops significantly reduced weed biomass during the fallow period as compared with the control treatment. Highest degree of weed suppression (90% as compared with the no-cover crop control treatment) was provided by buckwheat. Southernpea, a legume, increased soil nitrogen (N) concentration and contributed to higher lettuce yield and improved quality. Southernpea also enhanced lettuce growth and led to an earlier harvest than other treatments. Sorghum-sudangrass showed evidence of detrimental effects to the marketable lettuce crop. This was not due to N immobilization but presumably due to alleopathic properties. There is no clear pattern within any cover crop treatment that lettuce planting time following cover crop termination affects plant growth; however, planting early or soon after cover crop incorporation ensures more growing degree days and daylight, thus leading to timely harvest of a higher quality product. This study demonstrates that cover crops can successfully be integrated into vegetable cropping systems; however, cover crop selection is critical.

scholarly journals Impacts of winter cover cropping on soil moisture and evapotranspiration in California's specialty crop fields may be minimal during winter months

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Alyssa DeVincentis ◽  
Samuel Sandoval Solis ◽  
Sloane Rice ◽  
Daniele Zaccaria ◽  
Richard Snyder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Specialty Crop ◽  
Almond Orchards ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Winter Cover Crops ◽  
And Control

As fresh water supplies become more unreliable, variable and expensive, the water-related implications of sustainable agriculture practices such as cover cropping are drawing increasing attention from California's agricultural communities. However, the adoption of winter cover cropping remains limited among specialty crop growers who face uncertainty regarding the water use of this practice. To investigate how winter cover crops affect soil water and evapotranspiration on farm fields, we studied three systems that span climatic and farming conditions in California's Central Valley: processing tomato fields with cover crop, almond orchards with cover crop, and almond orchards with native vegetation. From 2016 to 2019, we collected soil moisture data (3 years of neutron hydroprobe and gravimetric tests at 10 field sites) and evapotranspiration measurements (2 years at two of 10 sites) in winter cover cropped and control (clean-cultivated, bare ground) plots during winter months. Generally, there were not significant differences in soil moisture between cover cropped and control fields throughout or at the end of the winter seasons, while evapo-transpirative losses due to winter cover crops were negligible relative to clean-cultivated soil. Our results suggest that winter cover crops in the Central Valley may break even in terms of actual consumptive water use. California growers of high-value specialty crops can likely adopt winter cover cropping without altering their irrigation plans and management practices.

scholarly journals The Environmental Impact of Ecological Intensification in Soybean Cropping Systems in the U.S. Upper Midwest

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1696
Author(s):  
Andrea Cecchin ◽  
Ghasideh Pourhashem ◽  
Russ W. Gesch ◽  
Yesuf A. Mohammed ◽  
Swetabh Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Upper Midwest ◽  
Ecological Intensification ◽  
The U.S

Introducing cover crops is a form of ecological intensification that can potentially reduce local, regional and global environmental impacts of soybean cropping systems. An assessment of multiple environmental impacts (global warming potential, eutrophication, soil erosion and soil organic carbon variation) was performed on a continuous soybean system in the U.S. upper Midwest. Four sequences were assessed and compared: a soybean cropping system with winter camelina, field pennycress, or winter rye as cover crop, plus a control (sole soybean). Cover crops were interseeded into standing soybean in Year 1, while in Year 2 soybean was relay-cropped into standing camelina or pennycress. Rye was terminated before sowing soybean. When compared with the control, sequences with cover crops showed lower eutrophication potential (4–9% reduction) and soil erosion (5–32% reduction) per ha year−1, in addition to a lower global warming potential (3–8% reduction) when the cover crop was not fertilized. However, when the economic component was included in the assessment, and the results expressed per USD net margin, the sequences with cover crops significantly reduced their performance in all categories of impact considered. A further optimization of field management for camelina and pennycress is recommended to make the cropping system more sustainable.

scholarly journals Impacts of winter cover cropping on soil moisture and evapotranspiration in California's specialty crop fields may be minimal during winter months

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Alyssa DeVincentis ◽  
Samuel Sandoval Solis ◽  
Sloane Rice ◽  
Daniele Zaccaria ◽  
Richard Snyder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Specialty Crop ◽  
Almond Orchards ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Winter Cover Crops ◽  
And Control

As fresh water supplies become more unreliable, variable and expensive, the water-related implications of sustainable agriculture practices such as cover cropping are drawing increasing attention from California's agricultural communities. However, the adoption of winter cover cropping remains limited among specialty crop growers who face uncertainty regarding the water use of this practice. To investigate how winter cover crops affect soil water and evapotranspiration on farm fields, we studied three systems that span climatic and farming conditions in California's Central Valley: processing tomato fields with cover crop, almond orchards with cover crop, and almond orchards with native vegetation. From 2016 to 2019, we collected soil moisture data (3 years of neutron hydroprobe and gravimetric tests at 10 field sites) and evapotranspiration measurements (2 years at two of 10 sites) in winter cover cropped and control (clean-cultivated, bare ground) plots during winter months. Generally, there were not significant differences in soil moisture between cover cropped and control fields throughout or at the end of the winter seasons, while evapo-transpirative losses due to winter cover crops were negligible relative to clean-cultivated soil. Our results suggest that winter cover crops in the Central Valley may break even in terms of actual consumptive water use. California growers of high-value specialty crops can likely adopt winter cover cropping without altering their irrigation plans and management practices.

scholarly journals The role of cover crops for cropland soil carbon, nitrogen leaching, and agricultural yields – A global simulation study with LPJmL (V. 5.0-tillage-cc)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Porwollik ◽  
Susanne Rolinski ◽  
Jens Heinke ◽  
Werner von Bloh ◽  
Sibyll Schaphoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Main Crop

Abstract. Land management practices can reduce the environmental impact of agricultural land use and production, improve productivity, and transform cropland into carbon sinks. We applied the global vegetation model LPJmL5.0-tillage-cc with a modified representation of cover crop practices. We assessed simulated responses to cover crop practices on agroecosystem components in comparison to bare soil fallow between two consecutive primary crops’ growing seasons on global cropland for a simulation period of 50 years. With cover crops and tillage, we obtained annual global median soil carbon sequestration rates of 0.52 and 0.48 t C ha−1 yr−1 for the first and last decades of the entire simulation period, respectively. We found that cover crops with tillage reduced annual nitrogen leaching rates from cropland soils by a median of 39 % and 54 % but also the productivity of the following main crop by average of 1.6 % and 2 % for the two analyzed decades. Largest reduction of productivity were found for rice, modestly lowered for maize and wheat, whereas soybean yield revealed an almost homogenous positive response to cover crop practices during fallow periods. Further, the results suggest that no-tillage is a suitable complementary practice to cover crops, enhancing their environmental benefits and reducing potential trade-offs with the main crop productivity due to their impacts on soil nitrogen and water dynamics. For cover crops applied in conjunction with no-tillage across the mapped Conservation Agriculture cropland area for the period 1974–2010, we estimated a cumulative soil carbon net-accumulation of 1.4 PgC, an annual median reduction of soil nitrogen leaching by 57 %, as well as mostly enhanced yields of the following main crop. The spatial heterogeneity of simulated impacts of cover crops on the variables assessed here was related to the time period since the introduction of the management practice as well as to environmental and agronomic conditions of the cropland. This study supports findings of other studies, highlighting the substantial potential contribution of cover crop practices to the sustainable development of arable production.

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