scholarly journals Cover Crop Management on the Southern High Plains: Impacts on Crop Productivity and Soil Water Depletion

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 212
Author(s):  
Lisa L. Baxter ◽  
Charles P. West ◽  
C. Philip Brown ◽  
Paul E. Green
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eragrostis Tef ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Soil Water Depletion ◽  
Southern High Plains ◽  
Water Depletion ◽  
No Till

The imminent depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer demands innovative cropping alternatives. Even though the benefits of cover crops are well recognized, adoption has been slow in the Southern High Plains (SHP) of the United States because of concerns that cover crops withdraw soil water to the detriment of the summer crops. This small plot experiment tested the interacting effects—production, soil water depletion of the cover crops, and subsequent teff [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] summer hay crops—of irrigation and tillage management with five cover crop types to identify low-risk cover crop practices in the drought-prone SHP. Dryland rye (Secale cereale L.) produced modest forage biomass (>1000 kg ha−1), even in a dry year, but it was found that light irrigation should be used to ensure adequate forage supply (>1200 kg ha−1) if winter grazing is desired. No-till management and timely termination of the winter cover crops were crucial to reducing the negative impact of winter crops on summer teff production. The results indicated no detriment to soil water content that was attributable to planting no-till cover crops compared with the conventional practice of winter fallow. Therefore, producers could take advantage of the soil-conserving attributes of high-quality winter forage cover crops without experiencing significant soil water depletion.

scholarly journals Effects of soil water depletion on the water relations in tropical kudzu

1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1151-1157
Author(s):  
Adaucto Bellarmino de Pereira-Netto ◽  
Antonio Celso Novaes de Magalhães ◽  
Hilton Silveira Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Water Depletion ◽  
Pueraria Phaseoloides ◽  
Water Depletion ◽  
Relative Water ◽  
Dry Soil

Tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth., Leguminosae: Faboideae) is native to the humid Southeastern Asia. Tropical kudzu has potential as a cover crop in regions subjected to dryness. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of soil water depletion on leaflet relative water content (RWC), stomatal conductance (g) and temperature (T L) in tropical kudzu. RWC of waterstressed plants dropped from 96 to 78%, following a reduction in SWC from 0.25 to 0.17 g (H2O).g (dry soil)-1.Stomatal conductance of stressed plants decreased from 221 to 98 mmol.m-2.s-1, following the reduction in soil water content (SWC). The day after re-irrigation, g of water stressed plants was 15% lower than g of unstressed plants. Differences in T L between waterstressed and unstressed plants (deltaT L) rose linearly from 0.1 to 2.2ºC following progressive water deficit. RWC and T L of waterstressed plants paralled RWC and T L of unstressed plants the day after reirrigation. The strong decrease in SWC found in this study only induced moderate water stress in tropical kudzu. In addition, tropical kudzu recover rapidly from the induced water stress after the re-irrigation.

scholarly journals Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Root Growth, Soil Water Depletion, and Water Use Efficiency of Cucumber

HortScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ved Parkash ◽  
Sukhbir Singh ◽  
Manpreet Singh ◽  
Sanjit K. Deb ◽  
Glen L. Ritchie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
The United States ◽  
Soil Water Depletion ◽  
Water Depletion ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Irrigation Levels

Water scarcity is increasing in the world, which is limiting crop production, especially in water-limited areas such as Southern High Plains of the United States. There is a need to adopt the irrigation management practices that can help to conserve water and sustain crop production in such water-limited areas. A 2-year field study was conducted during the summers of 2019 and 2020 to evaluate the effect of deficit irrigation levels and cultivars on root distribution pattern, soil water depletion, and water use efficiency (WUE) of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with four irrigation levels [100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% crop evapotranspiration (ETc)] as main plot factor and two cultivars (Poinsett 76 and Marketmore 76) as subplot factor with three replications. Results showed that root length density (RLD) was unaffected by the irrigation levels in 2019. In 2020, the RLD was comparable between 100% and 80% ETc, and it was significantly higher in 100% ETc than both 60% Eand 40% ETc. Root surface area density (RSAD) was not significantly different between 100% and 80% ETc, and it was significantly lower in both 60% and 40% ETc than 100% ETc in both years. Soil water depletion was the highest in 40% ETc followed by 60% and 80% ETc, and it was least in 100% ETc in both years. Evapotranspiration (ET) was the highest in 100% ETc followed by 80%, 60%, and 40% ETc. The WUE was not statistically different among the irrigation treatments. However, numerically, WUE was observed in the following order: 80% ETc > 100% ETc > 60% ETc > 40% ETc. The RLD, RSAD, soil water depletion, and ET were not significantly different between ‘Poinsett 76’ and ‘Marketmore 76’. However, fruit yield was significantly higher in ‘Poinsett 76’ than ‘Marketmore 76’, which resulted in higher WUE in Poinsett 76. It can be concluded that 80% ETc and Poinsett 76 cultivar can be adopted for higher crop water productivity and successful cucumber production in SHP.

Cover crop contributions to N supply and water conservation in corn production

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 106-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preston G. Sullivan ◽  
David J. Parrish ◽  
John M. Luna
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Corn Production ◽  
Total N ◽  
No Till

AbstractWinter annual legume cover crops can reduce nitrogen (N) fertilizer requirements and provide a water-conserving mulch to a subsequent crop. A two-year study was designed to test cover crops of rye (Secale cereale L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and big/lower vetch (Vicia grandiflora Scopoli) for their ability to produce N and to conserve soil water for a succeeding corn (Zea mays L.) crop. We measured the cover crops' biomass, N yield, carbon (C) to N ratio, and influence on a subsequent corn crop grown under two tillage regimes (disk tillage or no-till). Nitrogen content in cover crop biomass at time of corn planting ranged from 37 to 187 kg/ha. Pure stands of hairy vetch and a mixture of hairy vetch plus bigflower vetch had generally higher N yields, and rye was lowest. Rye growing in association with hairy vetch had lower C:N ratios than rye growing alone. Legume C:N ratios remained generally unchanged from earlier (disked) to later (herbicide) kill dates, but total N and biomass typically increased in the last 2 to 3 weeks before corn planting. Soil water retention was affected by tillage in some cases; no-till was superior to disk incorporation in each case where there was a tillage effect. Cover crops with greater biomass resulted in greater soil water retention. Among cover crops, uptake ofNby corn was greater from hairy vetch or hairy vetch plus bigflower vetch mixture. Biological immobilization of N appeared to be reducing N uptake by corn grown in rye residues. Corn in nonlegume plots fertilized with 140 or 210 kg N/ha took up more N than corn following legumes, but there was no corresponding yield increase. Corn biomass yields following the cover crops ranged from 8.6 to 18.0 Mg/ha with no additional fertilizer N. In the second year of the study, average corn yields following hairy vetch (15.3 Mg/ha) or hairy-bigflower vetch mixtures (16.4 Mg/ha) were not statistically different from corn yields produced by a 140 kg N/ha fertilizer rate (17.4 Mg/ha). These results suggest N from a legume cover crop can replace or substantially reduce fertilizer N requirements in corn production systems in the Appalachian region.

scholarly journals Effect of Cover Crop on Farm Profitability and Risk in the Southern High Plains

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 7119
Author(s):  
Ram N. Acharya ◽  
Rajan Ghimire ◽  
Apar GC ◽  
Don Blayney
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Southern High Plains ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Secondary Benefits ◽  
Farm Profitability ◽  
On Farm

Cover cropping has been promoted for improving soil health and environmental quality in the southern High Plains (SHP) region of the United States. The SHP is one of the more productive areas of the country and covers a large landmass, including parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. This region faces challenges in sustainable crop production due to declining water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer, the primary source of water for irrigated crop production. This study examines the impact of integrating cover crops in the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L)-based rotations on farm profitability and risk in the SHP. The study combines experimental yield data with other secondary information, including market prices, to conduct simulation analysis and evaluate the risk involved in introducing cover crops in a wheat-fallow cropping system. The results show that, due to the additional monetary costs involved, none of the cover crop options is economically viable. However, when secondary benefits (erosion control and green nitrogen) or government subsidies are included in the analysis, one of the cover crop options (peas) dominates the fallow alternative. Moreover, when the secondary benefits and a government subsidy are combined, two cover crop alternatives (peas and oats) emerge as more profitable options than leaving land fallow. These results highlight the importance of agricultural research and extension programs that are making a concerted effort to develop more productive farming techniques and increase public awareness about the long-term benefits of adopting soil health management systems such as cover cropping in the SHP region.

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.

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