Nitrogen and carbon cycling in relation to cover crop residue quality

ABSTRACT:

The importance of cover crops as determinants of soil quality has long been recognized in agriculture, from their common use as green manure crops in the mid 1900s to the broader range of cover crop management strategies in cropping systems of the 1990s. The two principal elements regulating soil biological activity, and hence nutrient cycling, are carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). This regulatory effect is manifested primarily in resource quality, which is a term representing the chemical composition and physical characteristics of cover crops. The primary chemical factors determining the kinetics of residue decomposition and nutrient release are the C:N ratio and concentrations of lignin and other structural carbohydrates in plant tissues with respect to N availability, grasses and legumes may serve different roles in cover crop-based production systems. Certain grass cover crops, most notably rye, have demonstrated a superior ability to scavenge for residual soil inorganic N compared to legumes. In contrast, legume cover crops such as crimson clover and hairy vetch have the ability to provide substantial amounts of biologically-fixed N to crops such as corn, cotton, and sorghum. However, improvements are needed in the synchrony of cover crop N release with principal crop demand for N to efficiently utilize this source of N. In this regard, future avenues for research should include a greater emphasis on plant breeding efforts to enhance the multipurpose roles of grass and legume cover crops, innovative management strategies utilizing cover crops, and the use of models to enhance our predictive capabilities of nutrient cycling efficiencies in cropping systems.