Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Call for Research Editor
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Call for Research Editor
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us
  • Follow SWCS on Twitter
  • Visit SWCS on Facebook
Research ArticleResearch

Biological and biochemical soil properties in no-till corn with different cover crops

M.D. Mullen, C.G. Melhorn, D.D. Tyler and B.N. Duck
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation July 1998, 53 (3) 219-224;
M.D. Mullen
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
C.G. Melhorn
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
D.D. Tyler
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
B.N. Duck
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

ABSTRACT:

Cover cropping impacts soil properties in many positive ways. These include higher total carbon, which usually contributes to increased cation exchange capacity and water-holding capacity. Enhanced soil physical and chemical properties, result in a better environment for the activity of soil microorganisms. We conducted a study of biological properties in no-till corn plots receiving either 0 or 168 kg N ha−1. Plots were planted in the fall each year with a hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), or no cover crop. The vetch cover resulted in the highest organic C accumulations, and the addition of N to the wheat or no cover plots increased C relative to the no N treatments. Soil organic C was not different between the vetch with and without N, but pH was significantly reduced by N fertilization. Hairy vetch had a greater effect on microbial numbers than did the wheat cover or no cover. The greatest bacterial numbers were observed in the vetch with no N treatment. Acidphosphatase, arylsulfatase, β-glucosidase and L-asparaginase activities were all higher in the vetch with no N treatment than any of the other combinations. In the wheat and no cover treatments, the enzyme activities mentioned earlier were all higher in the 168 kg N treatments. Soil treatments that increased soil organic C enhanced the activity of soil microorganisms and/or provided a better environment for the stabilization of microbially produced soil enzymes. Our data indicated that the use of cover crops significantly enhanced soil biological properties as measured by microbial numbers and enzyme activities. The use of cover crops provides soil quality benefits in addition to the reduction in soil loss attained with these systems.

Footnotes

  • M.D. Mullen is an associate professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, and a faculty member of the Center for Legume Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37901-1071. C.G. Melhorn is a former graduate student with the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37901-1071. D.D. Tyler is a professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Tennessee, Jackson, TN 38301. B.N. Duck is a professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Martin Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Tennessee, Martin, TN 38238.

  • Copyright 1998 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: 53 (3)
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Vol. 53, Issue 3
Third Quarter 1998
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Soil and Water Conservation.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Biological and biochemical soil properties in no-till corn with different cover crops
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
6 + 6 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Biological and biochemical soil properties in no-till corn with different cover crops
M.D. Mullen, C.G. Melhorn, D.D. Tyler, B.N. Duck
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Jul 1998, 53 (3) 219-224;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Biological and biochemical soil properties in no-till corn with different cover crops
M.D. Mullen, C.G. Melhorn, D.D. Tyler, B.N. Duck
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Jul 1998, 53 (3) 219-224;
Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • A framework to estimate climate mitigation potential for US cropland using publicly available data
  • Nitrate losses from Midwest US agroecosystems: Impacts of varied management and precipitation
  • Influence of gypsum and cover crop on greenhouse gas emissions in soybean cropping systems
Show more Research

Similar Articles

Content

  • Current Issue
  • Early Online
  • Archive
  • Subject Collections

Info For

  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Subscribers
  • Advertisers

Customer Service

  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions and Reprints
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

SWCS

  • Membership
  • Publications
  • Meetings and Events
  • Conservation Career Center

© 2023 Soil and Water Conservation Society