Abstract
No-till (NT) crop production is expected to sequester soil C, but little data is available for dairy forage systems. Our objective was to quantify impacts of NT and rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crops on soil C and N pools and associated soil properties on Pennsylvania dairies. Samples were collected from seven fields following corn harvest. The NT fields had approximately 50% more C and N in particulate and mineral-associated pools in the upper 5 cm (2 in) compared to conventional tillage, but C and N accumulations below 5 cm were similar. This suggests a C sequestration rate of ~0.5 Mg ha-1 y-1 (~0.2 tn ac-1 yr-1) in the 8 to 13 years NT has been used. Soil aggregate stability and cation exchange capacity were proportional to C pool sizes. Rye cover crops had no clear impact. Findings show that expected increases in C sequestration and soil quality with NT can be achieved in dairy forage systems.
Footnotes
Curtis J. Dell is a soil scientist for the USDA Agricultural Research Service Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, Pennsylvania. Paul R. Salon is a research agronomist for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Syracuse, New York. Carol D. Franks is a retired research soil scientist and Ellis C. Benham is a research soil scientist and for the USDA NRCS, National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. Yuri Plowden is a soil scientist for USDA NRCS, Mill Hall, Pennsylvania.
- © 2008 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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