scholarly journals Cover Crop Impacts on Water Dynamics and Yields in Dryland Wheat Systems on the Colorado Plateau

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102
Author(s):  
Lisa Eash ◽  
Abdel F. Berrada ◽  
Kathleen Russell ◽  
Steven J. Fonte
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Colorado Plateau ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Crop Biomass

On the semiarid Colorado Plateau, dryland farmers are challenged by degraded soils and unreliable precipitation. While cover crops have been shown to support soil fertility, control erosion, and enhance in soil water capture, they also use limited soil water and, thus, may impact cash crop productivity in dryland systems. Most literature on cover crops comes from relatively humid climates, where yield penalties due to cover crops may be less pronounced. Two field trials were conducted in Southwestern Colorado to assess the short-term viability of cover crops in dryland systems in this region. The effect of cover crops on subsequent winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield ranged from a decrease of 78% to an increase of 13%, depending on the amount of cover crop biomass produced in the previous year. Cover crop biomass was inversely correlated with soil nitrate levels and soil water storage at wheat planting, which decreased by 0.39 mg kg−1 and 10 mm, respectively, per 1000 kg ha−1 of cover crop biomass produced. Less available soil water and immobilized N therefore appeared to contribute to wheat yield reductions. These impacts are particularly important for semiarid environments, where decomposition of residue is water-limited and soil water recharge depends on unpredictable precipitation patterns.

scholarly journals The Effect of Cover Crops on Soil Water Balance in Rain-Fed Conditions

Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Đorđe Krstić ◽  
Svetlana Vujić ◽  
Goran Jaćimović ◽  
Paride D’Ottavio ◽  
Zoran Radanović ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Standardized Precipitation Index ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Silage Maize

Soil and water conservation benefits of cover crops have been hypothesized as a way to mitigate and adapt to changing climatic conditions, but they can also have detrimental effects if rainfall is limited. Our objective was to quantify effects of winter cover crops on soil water storage and yield of silage maize under the agro-ecological conditions within Vojvodina Province in Serbia. The experiment was conducted under rain-fed conditions at three locations and included a control (bare fallow) plus three cover crop and two N rate treatments. The cover crop treatments were common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), triticale (x Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus) and a mixture of the two species. All were managed as green manure and subsequently fertilized with either 120 or 160 kg N ha−1 before planting silage maize (Zea mays L.). Cover crop effects on soil water storage were calculated for two periods, March–May and May–September/October. A Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) used to characterize drought severity for 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, showed values of 3 and 9, respectively, for the two periods. Soil water storage was reduced by all cover crop treatments, with the greatest deficiency occurring during the extremely dry year of 2012. Previous studies have shown cover crop growth reduced by soil water depletion during their growing season and negative effects on early-season growth and development of subsequent cash crops such as silage maize, but if rainfall is extremely low it can also reduce cash crop yield. This detrimental effect of cover crops on soil water balance was confirmed by correlations between soil water storage and maize silage yield.

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

Agriculture ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Soybean Relative Maturity, Not Row Spacing, Affected Interseeded Cover Crops Biomass

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 441
Author(s):  
Hans J. Kandel ◽  
Dulan P. Samarappuli ◽  
Kory L. Johnson ◽  
Marisol T. Berti
Keyword(s):  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Cover ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Soybean Yield ◽  
Early Maturing ◽  
Crop Biomass

Adoption of cover crop interseeding in the northwestern Corn Belt in the USA is limited due to inadequate fall moisture for establishment, short growing season, additional costs, and need for adapted winter-hardy species. This study evaluated three cover crop treatments—no cover crop, winter rye (Secale cereale L.), and winter camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz)—which were interseeded at the R6 soybean growth stage, using two different soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) maturity groups (0.5 vs. 0.9) and two row spacings (30.5 vs. 61 cm). The objective was to evaluate these treatments on cover crop biomass, soil cover, plant density, and soybean yield. Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield was also measured the following year. The early-maturing soybean cultivar (0.5 maturity) resulted in increased cover crop biomass and soil cover, with winter rye outperforming winter camelina. However, the early-maturing soybean yielded 2308 kg·ha−1, significantly less compared with the later maturing cultivar (2445 kg·ha−1). Narrow row spacing had higher soybean yield, but row spacing did not affect cover crop growth. Spring wheat should not follow winter rye if rye is terminated right before seeding the wheat. However, wheat planted after winter camelina was no different than when no cover crop was interseeded in soybean. Interseeding cover crops into established soybean is possible, however, cover crop biomass accumulation and soil cover are limited.

Investigating tarps to facilitate organic no-till cabbage production with high-residue cover crops

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie P Lounsbury ◽  
Nicholas D Warren ◽  
Seamus D Wolfe ◽  
Richard G Smith
Keyword(s):  
Biological Activity ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Biomass Production ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
No Till ◽  
Crop Biomass

AbstractHigh-residue cover crops can facilitate organic no-till vegetable production when cover crop biomass production is sufficient to suppress weeds (>8000 kg ha−1), and cash crop growth is not limited by soil temperature, nutrient availability, or cover crop regrowth. In cool climates, however, both cover crop biomass production and soil temperature can be limiting for organic no-till. In addition, successful termination of cover crops can be a challenge, particularly when cover crops are grown as mixtures. We tested whether reusable plastic tarps, an increasingly popular tool for small-scale vegetable farmers, could be used to augment organic no-till cover crop termination and weed suppression. We no-till transplanted cabbage into a winter rye (Secale cereale L.)-hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) cover crop mulch that was terminated with either a roller-crimper alone or a roller-crimper plus black or clear tarps. Tarps were applied for durations of 2, 4 and 5 weeks. Across tarp durations, black tarps increased the mean cabbage head weight by 58% compared with the no tarp treatment. This was likely due to a combination of improved weed suppression and nutrient availability. Although soil nutrients and biological activity were not directly measured, remaining cover crop mulch in the black tarp treatments was reduced by more than 1100 kg ha−1 when tarps were removed compared with clear and no tarp treatments. We interpret this as an indirect measurement of biological activity perhaps accelerated by lower daily soil temperature fluctuations and more constant volumetric water content under black tarps. The edges of both tarp types were held down, rather than buried, but moisture losses from the clear tarps were greater and this may have affected the efficacy of clear tarps. Plastic tarps effectively killed the vetch cover crop, whereas it readily regrew in the crimped but uncovered plots. However, emergence of large and smooth crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) appeared to be enhanced in the clear tarp treatment. Although this experiment was limited to a single site-year in New Hampshire, it shows that use of black tarps can overcome some of the obstacles to implementing cover crop-based no-till vegetable productions in northern climates.

scholarly journals Cover Crop Effectiveness Varies in Cover Crop-Based Rotational Tillage Organic Soybean Systems Depending on Species and Environment

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Vincent-Caboud ◽  
Léa Vereecke ◽  
Erin Silva ◽  
Joséphine Peigné
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Weed Biomass ◽  
Cereal Rye ◽  
Cereal Grain ◽  
Crop Biomass

Organic farming relies heavily on tillage for weed management, however, intensive soil disturbance can have detrimental impacts on soil quality. Cover crop-based rotational tillage (CCBRT), a practice that reduces the need for tillage and cultivation through the creation of cover crop mulches, has emerged as an alternative weed management practice in organic cropping systems. In this study, CCBRT systems using cereal rye and triticale grain species are evaluated with organic soybean directly seeded into a rolled cover crop. Cover crop biomass, weed biomass, and soybean yields were evaluated to assess the effects of cereal rye and winter triticale cover crops on weed suppression and yields. From 2016 to 2018, trials were conducted at six locations in Wisconsin, USA, and Southern France. While cover crop biomass did not differ among the cereal grain species tested, the use of cereal rye as the cover crop resulted in higher soybean yields (2.7 t ha−1 vs. 2.2 t ha−1) and greater weed suppression, both at soybean emergence (231 vs. 577 kg ha−1 of weed biomass) and just prior to soybean harvest (1178 vs. 1545 kg ha−1). On four out of six sites, cover crop biomass was lower than the reported optimal (<8000 kg ha−1) needed to suppress weeds throughout soybean season. Environmental conditions, in tandem with agronomic decisions (e.g., seeding dates, cultivar, planters, etc.), influenced the ability of the cover crop to suppress weeds regardless of the species used. In a changing climate, future research should focus on establishing flexible decision support tools based on multi-tactic cover crop management to ensure more consistent results with respect to cover crop growth, weed suppression, and crop yields.

scholarly journals The influence of stony soil properties on water dynamics modeled by the HYDRUS model

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana Hlaváčiková ◽  
Viliam Novák ◽  
Zdeněk Kostka ◽  
Michal Danko ◽  
Jozef Hlavčo
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Rock Fragments ◽  
Soil Fraction ◽  
Fine Soil ◽  
Stony Soil ◽  
Water Retention Properties

AbstractStony soils are composed of two fractions (rock fragments and fine soil) with different hydrophysical characteristics. Although stony soils are abundant in many catchments, their properties are still not well understood. This manuscript presents an application of the simple methodology for deriving water retention properties of stony soils, taking into account a correction for the soil stoniness. Variations in the water retention of the fine soil fraction and its impact on both the soil water storage and the bottom boundary fluxes are studied as well. The deterministic water flow model HYDRUS-1D is used in the study. The results indicate that the presence of rock fragments in a moderate-to-high stony soil can decrease the soil water storage by 23% or more and affect the soil water dynamics. Simulated bottom fluxes increased or decreased faster, and their maxima during the wet period were larger in the stony soil compared to the non-stony one.

Assessing the sustainability of wheat-based cropping systems using APSIM: model parameterisation and evaluation

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Moeller ◽  
Mustafa Pala ◽  
Ahmad M. Manschadi ◽  
Holger Meinke ◽  
Joachim Sauerborn
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics ◽  
Mineral N ◽  
N Use

Assessing the sustainability of crop and soil management practices in wheat-based rotations requires a well-tested model with the demonstrated ability to sensibly predict crop productivity and changes in the soil resource. The Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) suite of models was parameterised and subsequently used to predict biomass production, yield, crop water and nitrogen (N) use, as well as long-term soil water and organic matter dynamics in wheat/chickpea systems at Tel Hadya, north-western Syria. The model satisfactorily simulated the productivity and water and N use of wheat and chickpea crops grown under different N and/or water supply levels in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 experimental seasons. Analysis of soil-water dynamics showed that the 2-stage soil evaporation model in APSIM’s cascading water-balance module did not sufficiently explain the actual soil drying following crop harvest under conditions where unused water remained in the soil profile. This might have been related to evaporation from soil cracks in the montmorillonitic clay soil, a process not explicitly simulated by APSIM. Soil-water dynamics in wheat–fallow and wheat–chickpea rotations (1987–98) were nevertheless well simulated when the soil water content in 0–0.45 m soil depth was set to ‘air dry’ at the end of the growing season each year. The model satisfactorily simulated the amounts of NO3-N in the soil, whereas it underestimated the amounts of NH4-N. Ammonium fixation might be part of the soil mineral-N dynamics at the study site because montmorillonite is the major clay mineral. This process is not simulated by APSIM’s nitrogen module. APSIM was capable of predicting long-term trends (1985–98) in soil organic matter in wheat–fallow and wheat–chickpea rotations at Tel Hadya as reported in literature. Overall, results showed that the model is generic and mature enough to be extended to this set of environmental conditions and can therefore be applied to assess the sustainability of wheat–chickpea rotations at Tel Hadya.

Cereal cover crops for weed suppression in a summer fallow-wheat cropping sequence

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Moyer ◽  
R. E. Blackshaw ◽  
E. G. Smith ◽  
S. M. McGinn
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Weed Growth ◽  
Summer Fallow

Cropping systems in western Canada that include summer fallow can leave the soil exposed to erosion and require frequent weed control treatments. Cover crops have been used for soil conservation and to suppress weed growth. Experiments were conducted under rain-fed conditions at Lethbridge, Alberta to determine the effect of short-term fall rye (Secale cereale L.), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and annual rye cover crops in the fallow year on weed growth and subsequent wheat yield. Under favorable weather conditions fall rye was as effective as post-harvest plus early spring tillage or herbicides in spring weed control. Winter wheat and fall rye residues, after growth was terminated in June, reduced weed biomass in September by 50% compared to no cover crop in 1993 but had little effect on weeds in 1995. Fall-seeded cover crops reduced the density of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber in Wiggers) and Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.] but increased the density of downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.), wild buckwheat (Polygonum convolvulus L.), and thyme-leaved spurge (Euphorbia serpyllifolia Pers.) in the following fall or spring. Wheat yields after fall rye and no cover crop were similar but yields after spring-seeded annual rye were less than after no cover crop. Spring-seeded annual rye did not adequately compete with weeds. Cover crops, unlike the no cover crop treatment, always left sufficient plant residue to protect the soil from erosion until the following wheat crop was seeded. Key words: Allelopathies, fall rye, nitrogen, soil conservation, soil moisture, weed control, spring rye, winter wheat

Soil Water Dynamics under Winter Rye Cover Crop in Central Iowa

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiming Qi ◽  
Matthew J. Helmers
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Water Dynamics ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Soil Water Dynamics
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