Short-Term Impact of Monocultured and Mixed Cover Crops on Soil Properties, Weed Suppression, and Lettuce Yield

Ghahremani, Soghra; Ebadi, Ali; Ahmad, Tauseef; Hashemi, Masoud; Sedghi, Mohammad; Gholipoouri, Abdolghayum; Barker, Allen V.

doi:10.1080/00103624.2020.1854295

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This implied that SOC accumulation was three times higher in the subsurface layer than in the topsoil during the analysed period. This pattern has been reported in other studies assessing tillage removal and cover crop installation [89,90], even in the short-term under semiarid climatic conditions [48,91]. Under D-S in the two soil layers analysed, major in-creases in SOC-S were found in the 250-2000 µm fraction.…”

Section: Soc Stock and Aggregate-associated C And Nsupporting

confidence: 85%

Crop Diversification Effects on Soil Aggregation and Aggregate-Associated Carbon and Nitrogen in Short-Term Rainfed Olive Groves under Semiarid Mediterranean Conditions

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil particle aggregation and their associated carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content can provide valuable diagnostic indicators of changes in soil properties in response to the implementation of different agricultural management practices. In this sense, there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of intercropping on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) pools in aggregates. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effect (4 years) of three crop diversifications in rainfed olive orchards on soil aggregation, SOC and TN concentration and SOC stocks (SOC-S) under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions. Olive orchards were diversified with Crocus sativus (D-S), Vicia sativa and Avena sativa in rotation (D-O) and Lavandula x intermedia (D-L) and compared with monocropping system (CT). Soil samples were collected at two depths (0–10 and 10–30 cm) and analysed for soil aggregate mass, SOC and TN content in aggregate-size fractions obtained by the wet-sieving method. Changes caused by crop diversifications on SOC-S were also determined. Overall, after 4 years, a reduction in aggregation values was observed. However, D-S increased the macroaggregates (>250 μm) percentage, Mean Weigh Diameter values, and Geometric Mean Value in the 0–10 cm. Across treatments, aggregate-associated C in 0–10 cm was higher in the D-S treatment, while in the 10–30 cm soil layer, the greatest values were found in CT. Regarding the SOC-S, after 4 years, significant losses were recorded under CT management in 0–10 cm (−1.21 Mg ha−1) and 10–30 cm (−0.84 Mg ha−1), while D-O and D-L showed similar values to those obtained at the beginning of the study. The highest increases in SOC-S were found in D-S, with an increase of 5.88% in the 0–10 cm and 14.47% in the 10–30 cm. Our results showed the high potential of the diversified cropping system to increase soil stability and SOC sequestration.

show abstract

Section: Soc Stock and Aggregate-associated C And Nsupporting

confidence: 85%

Crop Diversification Effects on Soil Aggregation and Aggregate-Associated Carbon and Nitrogen in Short-Term Rainfed Olive Groves under Semiarid Mediterranean Conditions

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In general, soil porosity and soil water-holding capacity decreased as soil bulk density increased. However, plant mixtures can enhance soil porosity by stimulating root growth and microbial activity, thereby increasing SWC in areas with higher bulk density areas (Ghahremani et al, 2021).…”

Section: Environmental and Management Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soil moisture has received the greatest attention among water cycle processes as the link between the above-and below-ground hydrological cycles (Moyano et al, 2013). However, according to the region, studies have found contradictory (Rahman et al, 2017;Guderle et al, 2018) or negligible (O'Keefe et al, 2019) effects of plant mixtures on soil water content as well as for other water cycle processes ( Ghahremani et al, 2021;Leimer et al, 2014;Spehn et al, 2000). It is difficult to accurately and comprehensively assess the impact of plant mixture on the overall water cycle by evaluating their effects on individual water cycle processes (Barry et al, 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Global meta-analysis of water cycling response to plant mixture

Liu

Cai

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Plant mixtures maintain irreplaceable ecosystem services through biodiversity conservation, guarantee food security, and buffer climate change. However, the effects of plant mixing on the water cycle remain poorly understood despite the significance of the water cycle in maintaining life on Earth. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis using a global data set of 1,631 paired observations from 88 publications to explore how plant mixtures affect seven critical water cycle processes (soil water content, runoff, infiltration, soil evaporation, canopy transpiration, throughfall, and water use efficiency). We found that plant mixtures reduced mean soil water content (1.5 %), runoff (12.3 %), and soil evaporation (7.8 %), while improving soil infiltration (42.7 %), leaf transpiration (13.5 %), and water use efficiency (40.9 %). The effect size of plant mixtures greatly depended on ecosystem types; crop mixtures significantly reduced soil evaporation (10.7 %) and runoff (22.1 %), whereas mixed forest and agroforestry systems significantly enhanced soil infiltration rates. Moreover, the effect size of the plant mixture also varied with climate (mean annual precipitation), soil properties (organic matter content, bulk density, and total nitrogen content), and management practices (crop type, fertilization, and irrigation). In plant minutes, resource complementarity, abiotic facilitation and biotic feedback may be the underlying mechanisms that regulate water cycle. This work highlights the importance of plant mixtures in facilitating positive water cycles and provide insights into the establishment of sustainable artificial ecosystems.

show abstract

“…It is often considered that increasing plant species diversity could lead to the delivery of diverse soil ecosystem services. Only three of the 22 studies evaluated earthworm abundance under CC mixes within the same experiment (Hmazaev et al, 2007; Crotty & Stoate, 2019; Ghahremani et al., 2021; Table 1). These few studies show CC mixes do not outperform single species nor an increase in the number of species within a CC mix results in increased earthworm abundance.…”

Section: Factors That May Influence Cover Crop Effects On Earthworm P...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cover crops and soil ecosystem engineers

Blanco‐Canqui

2022

Agronomy Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Earthworms are key to the engineering of soil ecosystem services. However, how cover crops (CCs) influence these ecosystem engineers has not been widely discussed. This paper reviews (a) CC effects on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity, and related soil ecosystems services and (b) factors affecting CC effects on earthworms. A review of existing literature (through 29 May 2022) found 22 CC studies on earthworm abundance and 10 on earthworm biomass, but studies on earthworm diversity were few. Cover crops increased earthworm abundance in 13 of 22 studies, increased biomass in five of 10 and had no effect in the rest of studies compared with no CCs. The change (Δ increase) was 11 to 535 earthworms m -2 and 11 to 44 g of earthworm biomass m -2 . Cover crop effects on earthworm diversity are mixed. Earthworm abundance was more responsive to CCs than soil C and physical properties, suggesting earthworm abundance should be included as a sensitive measurement in soil health status. Cover crops with low C/N under no-till or reduced-till systems promote earthworm abundance relative to CCs with high C/N under conventionally tilled systems. Cover crop mixtures do not increase earthworm abundance more than monocultures. Earthworm abundance generally increases with increasing precipitation (r = 0.45; p = .025) and temperature (r = 0.36; p = .10).Overall, CCs increase earthworm abundance but have mixed effects on earthworm biomass and diversity, although more data from different CC management scenarios and climates are needed for more robust conclusions. INTRODUCTIONMaintaining or improving the health and ecosystem services of soils under a growing world population and declining environmental quality is essential. Halting soil degradation, restoring degraded soils, and developing resilient and healthy soils are priorities for the continued delivery of essential ecosystem services from soils. Such services include climate regulation, C sequestration, nutrient cycling, and improvement in water quality, soil biodiversity, and wildlife habitat, among others (Adhikari & Hartemink, 2016; Abbreviations: CC, cover crop.

show abstract

Short-Term Impact of Monocultured and Mixed Cover Crops on Soil Properties, Weed Suppression, and Lettuce Yield

Cited by 13 publications

References 40 publications

Crop Diversification Effects on Soil Aggregation and Aggregate-Associated Carbon and Nitrogen in Short-Term Rainfed Olive Groves under Semiarid Mediterranean Conditions

Crop Diversification Effects on Soil Aggregation and Aggregate-Associated Carbon and Nitrogen in Short-Term Rainfed Olive Groves under Semiarid Mediterranean Conditions

Global meta-analysis of water cycling response to plant mixture

Cover crops and soil ecosystem engineers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About