Barley–hairy vetch mixture as cover crop for green manuring and the mitigation of N leaching risk

Remediation of degraded arable steppe soils in Moldova using vetch as green manure

“…results. This confirmed the assumption that hairy vetch/cereal mixtures are more effective than monocultures for green manuring, particularly in terms of the C input (Dabney et al, 2010;Mirsky et al, 2012;Sainju et al, 2002;Tosti et al, 2014). According to the higher biomass production, the total C input of hairy vetch was 45 to 55 % higher compared to the average value from the literature.…”

“…Greenhouse experiments on the physiological response of the relative common vetch (Vicia sativa) to drought indicated that common and hairy vetch could be also useful in drylands (Tenopala et al, 2012). At two experimental sites in central and southern Moldova, mixtures of hairy vetch and winter wheat were sown which may be more advantageous than legume monocultures due to a more effective weed control, an increased biomass production, a decreased N leaching as well as an increased N availability for subsequent main crops (Sainju et al, 2002(Sainju et al, , 2005aMirsky et al, 2012;Dabney et al, 2010;Tosti et al, 2014). The main objectives of this study were to -evaluate the productivity and the N fixing potential of hairy vetch under continental climatic conditions of Moldova,…”

Nitrogen leaching: A crop rotation perspective on the effect of N surplus, field management and use of catch crops

“…Several studies have been conducted about the role of catch crops in N leaching reduction (e.g. Thorup-Kristensen et al, 2003;Olesen et al, 2007;Constantin et al, 2010;Tosti et al, 2014), showing their potential as a mitigation tool. In line with this, use of catch crops was one of the measures emphasized in the Danish Nitrate Action Programme 2008Programme -2015, where catch crops are defined as "specific high N assimilating crops".…”

“…If the potential benefits of using a mixture of legumes and non-legumes have been shown (e.g. Tosti et al, 2014;Tribouillois et al, 2016), a broad, system perspective is still needed. In general, the ability of catch crops to take up soil mineral N, and thus reduce N leaching, can be limited by their growing conditions, such as temperature and, if undersown, competition with the main crop (Doltra and Olesen, 2013;Burger et al, 2017).…”

Biological and other soil parameters response to winter cover crops in a mediterranean irrigated system

“…Winter cover cropping is an important practice in sustainable agriculture and is receiving increasing attention in Mediterranean areas (Gabriel et al, 2016;Tosti et al, 2014). The use of cover crops (CC) provides numerous advantages for the soil, but they do not always benefit the main crop yield in semiarid conditions, most likely due to increased pre-emptive competition for nutrients and water with the main crop (Gabriel et al, 2013;Lascano et al, 2015;Salmerón et al, 2010).…”