Effects of cover crops on soil hydraulic properties during commodity crop growing season

Haruna, Samuel I.; Ritchey, Edwin L.; Mosley, Chaney; Ku, Seockmo

doi:10.1111/sum.12803

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Therefore, during very wet growing seasons, CCs can help lengthen the growing season by increasing soil aeration. However, careful planning through species selection and appropriate termination timing is important to avoid drying out the soil (Haruna et al., 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No‐till cover crop effects on the hydro‐physical properties of a silt loam

Lieskamp,

Moseley,

Legrain

et al. 2024

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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Soil hydraulic and physical properties can be influenced by various land management practices, and they determine water movement and storage within the vadose zone, with both agronomic and environmental effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two such practices (no‐till [NT] and cover crops [CCs]) on soil hydraulic (e.g., saturated hydraulic conductivity [Ksat], and water retention) and physical (e.g., bulk density [BD], pore size distribution, air‐filled pore spaces [AFPSs], and water‐filled pore spaces [WFPSs]) properties. The CCs used included crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.), winter peas (Lathyrus hirsutus L.), oats (Avena sativa), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), triticale (Triticale hexaploide Lart.), flax (Linum usitassimum L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Soil samples were collected and analyzed during 2021 and 2022 right before CC termination at 0‐ to 10‐cm, 10‐ to 20‐cm, and 20‐ to 30‐cm depths. Results showed that, during 2021 and 2022, BD was 18% and 14% higher, respectively, under NC compared with CC management, while Ksat was 2.2 and 1.9 times higher, respectively, under CC compared with NC management. Further, the non‐capillary pores were significantly (p ≥ 0.05) higher under CC compared with NC management during both years of study. As a result, the majority of the total pores under CCs were filled with air, while the majority of total pores under NC management were filled with water. Therefore, this CC mix may be useful in lengthening the growing period during wet seasons by increasing air‐filled pore spaces.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No‐till cover crop effects on the hydro‐physical properties of a silt loam

Lieskamp,

Moseley,

Legrain

et al. 2024

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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“…Therefore, in management practices where a rapid reduction in bulk density is required, a mixture of CCs may be more suitable as compared to a single CC species. With few studies to date concerning the influence of multi-species CCs on soil hydraulic properties (e.g., Barker et al, 2018;Singh et al, 2022;Simon et al, 2022; ) Haruna et al, 2022b), the current study could be helpful in agronomic decision making that have environmental implications.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of no-till cover crops on the physical and hydraulic properties of a Paleudult

Haruna¹,

Ward²,

Cartwright³

et al. 2023

Int. Agrophys.

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The influence of a single species cover crop on soil hydraulic properties during one growing season are well known. However, the influence of multi-year and multi-species cover crops on soil physical and hydraulic properties are not yet fully understood. The current study was set up using a completely randomized block design during 2021 and 2022, it investigated the effects of a multi-species cover crop (winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), triticale (Triticale hexaploide Lart), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), oats (Avena sativa), and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.)) on bulk density, soil organic carbon, saturated hydraulic conductivity, pore-size distribution, and volumetric water content at 0, -0.4, -1, -2.5, -5, -10, -20, -33, -100, and -1 500 kPa soil water pressures. The soil samples were collected in 10 cm increments from the soil surface down to 30 cm. After 2 years, the results showed that cover crop reduced bulk density by 17% as compared with no cover crop management. Further, the cover crop-induced increases in soil organic carbon as well as in macro-and mesoporosity led to 23, 25, and 28% increases in volumetric water content at 0, -33, and -100 kPa soil water pressures respectively, relative to no cover crop management. When comparing the two years of the study, under cover crop management alone, saturated hydraulic conductivity was higher in 2021 as compared to 2022, which suggests that cover crop-induced improvements in some hydraulic properties may not be proportional over time. In general, cover crops improved the measured soil hydraulic properties after 2 years and this has the potential to be beneficial for improving soil water storage.K e y w o r d s : bulk density, cover crop, saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil organic carbon, water retention

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“…Few studies have assessed the impacts of cover crops that are interseeded with the annual crop (i.e., interseeded cover crop) on soil water storage and movement (Schomberg et al, 2023). However, results from some studies found that growing a winter cover crop (grown between the harvest and planting of the annual crop) resulted in higher soil water storage in the subsequent growing season of the annual crop compared with non‐cover crop treatments (Haruna et al, 2022; Leuthold et al, 2021; Rankoth et al, 2021). In addition, cover crops produce plenty of organic material, which — if left on the soil surface — can alter soil water retention due to better regulation of soil temperature and reduced surface evaporation (Wang et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable soil moisture responses to rainfall events in fields under different management practices

Ljutic,

Moore,

Ali

et al. 2024

Hydrological Processes

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Soil moisture response to rainfall is a key factor that dictates how well a landscape can support crop growth as well as its susceptibility to water runoff and leaching, however, few studies have investigated how agricultural management impacts this important soil function. This study compares two common agricultural soil treatments (cover crops and soil compaction) and their soil moisture response to rainfall in comparison to a control. In a humid temperate climate during March to November, individual rainfall events were delineated over two growing seasons and corresponding soil moisture responses were identified using in situ soil moisture sensors at four soil depths (20, 30, 40, and 60 cm). Results suggest that hydrological responses differed with both event type and management treatment. Not all rainfall events triggered a response: those that triggered responses at shallower soil depths were typically characterized by higher total event rainfall, and higher maximum and average rainfall intensity. In contrast, rainfall events triggering responses at deeper soil depths were characterized by longer event duration as well as higher 10‐day antecedent rainfall (AR). Soil moisture responses for the cover crop treatment were characterized by relatively lower initial and peak soil moisture at shallower depths but higher values at 60 cm depth, whereas soil moisture responses for the control and compacted soil treatments demonstrated the opposite. Matrix flow was most often generated for rainfall events with high magnitude and was not preferentially associated with any particular soil treatment. However, specific conditions were needed to generate vertical preferential flow, namely high total event rainfall for both horizons, or high AR for preferential flow in the Ap horizon, or high rainfall intensity for preferential flow in the Bt horizon. Our findings demonstrate the potential for detailed event‐based soil water process analysis using high‐frequency, multi‐depth soil moisture data.

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Effects of cover crops on soil hydraulic properties during commodity crop growing season

Cited by 8 publications

References 51 publications

No‐till cover crop effects on the hydro‐physical properties of a silt loam

No‐till cover crop effects on the hydro‐physical properties of a silt loam

Influence of no-till cover crops on the physical and hydraulic properties of a Paleudult

Variable soil moisture responses to rainfall events in fields under different management practices

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