RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Rye cover crop had a nitrogen credit one year after termination in a frigid environment
JF Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
FD Soil and Water Conservation Society
SP 261
OP 267
DO 10.2489/jswc.2024.00097
VO 79
IS 5
A1 Joshi, D.R.
A1 Moriles-Miller, J.
A1 Clay, S.A.
A1 Reicks, G.
A1 Westhoff, S.
A1 Clay, D.E.
YR 2024
UL http://www.jswconline.org/content/79/5/261.abstract
AB Our prior study showed that a dormant seeded rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop reduced carbon dioxide equivalence (CO2e) in a frigid submesic climate. However, this research did not discuss the impact of the cover crop on temporal changes in soil inorganic nitrogen (N), soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass, and community structure, which is the purpose of the present study. In this replicated no-tillage study, winter cereal rye was drilled in October of 2018 and 2019 and terminated using glyphosate (N-[phosphonomethyl] glycine) on June 11, 2019, and June 8, 2020, at the V4 growth stage in corn (Zea mays L.). Rye biomass collected at termination was air dried and placed into fiberglass litter bags at a rate of 3,750 kg ha−1. Bags were placed on the soil surface at the original collection zone. Four replicate bags from each plot were collected after 87, 248, and 365 days. Following removal, the material remaining in the removed bags was analyzed for amount and chemical composition. The decomposing cover crop biomass increased the microbial biomass and the amount of soil inorganic N and SOC in the surface 15 cm at 365 days (one year after litter was applied). These results suggest that soil nutrient benefits from fall-planted rye cover crop may not occur until the year following termination. However, the N credit benefits may vary depending on the type of cover crop, such as legume or brassica; therefore, this should also be considered in future studies. Overall, these findings provide practical implications for cover crop management in frigid submesic climates, suggesting that growers’ adoption of cover crops can improve soil health, enhance crop yields, and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, thereby contributing to more sustainable and economically viable farming systems.