Tillage System and Cover Crop Effects on Soil Quality: I. Chemical, Mechanical, and Biological Properties

Abdollahi, Lotfollah; Munkholm, Lars J.

doi:10.2136/sssaj2013.07.0301

Cited by 120 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This is in accordance with many studies which have demonstrated the beneficial effects of cover crop on soil fertility and quality (e.g. Abdollahi and Munkholm, 2014;Mazzoncini et al, 2011;Mitchell et al, 2017;Sainju et al, 2002;Sapkota et al, 2012). The average annual soil organic C stock change observed in our simulations (from 0.02 to 0.28 t/ha) was similar to what has been reported by Poeplau and Don (2015) based on an extensive meta-analysis of cover crop field experiments.…”

Section: Consequences For Soil Fertilitysupporting

confidence: 92%

“…In tilled treatments, the positive effect of cover crop cultivation was less pronounced, though visible when looking at the whole three year period. This agrees with other studies showing a more important role of cover crops with reduction of tillage intensity (Abdollahi and Munkholm, 2014;Wittwer et al, 2017). Many factors can explain the beneficial effect of cover crops for the next crop; among these are the reduction of weed pressure, improvement of soil fertility and soil quality, and nutrient release during decomposition (Abdollahi and Munkholm, 2014;Fageria et al, 2005;Mat Hassan et al, 2013;ThorupKristensen et al, 2003).…”

Section: Effect On the Following Wheat Cropsupporting

confidence: 91%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Importance of cover crops in alleviating negative effects of reduced soil tillage and promoting soil fertility in a winter wheat cropping system

Büchi

Wendling

Amossé

et al. 2018

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A B S T R A C TReduction of soil tillage is of paramount importance for agricultural soil preservation. However, it is often accompanied by yield reduction and weed management problems. In this perspective, cover crops could play an important role to alleviate weed infestation and sustain yield. In this study, the results from a three-year experiment of cover crop cultivation in different soil tillage treatments is presented, together with results from DayCent simulations on the long term evolution of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen. Eight cover crop treatments were set up as subtreatments in a long term experiment in Switzerland. Cover crops were cultivated for a short two-month period between two winter wheats. Substantial differences in cover crop growth were observed depending on cover crop species. In all tillage treatments, high cover crop biomass production allowed to supress weed biomass compared to the no cover crop control. Wheat grain yield was higher in the minimum tillage than in the plough treatment. In the no till treatment, wheat yield was notably low, except in the field pea treatments, where wheat yield reached values similar to that observed in the plough and minimum tillage treatments. In addition, these differences in biomass production translated into important differences in nutrient inputs, and even in soil nutrient concentration in some cases. Long term simulations showed that cover crop cultivation could increase drastically soil organic carbon and total nitrogen, especially in reduced tillage treatments. Altogether, these results demonstrated that the presence of a well-developed cover crop, even for only two months, allows to sustain wheat yield in a no till treatment. It impacts also soil fertility and nutrient cycling. This study shows that an accurate use and management of cover crops, in interaction with tillage reduction, could maintain yield and improve soil fertility in the long term.

show abstract

Section: Consequences For Soil Fertilitysupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Effect On the Following Wheat Cropsupporting

confidence: 91%

Importance of cover crops in alleviating negative effects of reduced soil tillage and promoting soil fertility in a winter wheat cropping system

Büchi

Wendling

Amossé

et al. 2018

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Celik et al (2012) found that MWD values under no-tillage and reduced tillage were higher than conventional tillage. Abdollahi and Munkholm (2014) reported that reduced tillage systems increased MWD values, penetration resistance and water-stable aggregates.…”

Section: Mean Weight Diameter (Mwd)mentioning

confidence: 98%

Effects of long-term tillage systems on aggregate-associated organic carbon in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey

Acar¹,

Çeli̇k²,

Günal³

2018

Eurasian Journal of Soil Science (Ejss)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Article Info Received : 28.03.2017 Accepted : 09.08.2017 The stability of aggregates plays a vital role in preserving and long term storing of soil organic carbon (SOC). In this study, the long-term (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014) effects of six tillage systems on aggregate-associated SOC were investigated in a field experiment conducted under Mediterranean conditions. The tillage treatments were; conventional tillage with residue incorporated in the soil (CT1), conventional tillage with residue burned (CT2), reduced tillage with heavy tandem disc-harrow (RT1), reduced tillage with rotary tiller (RT2), reduced tillage with heavy tandem disc harrow fallowed by no-tillage (RNT) for the second crop, and no tillage (NT). The most frequently encountered aggregates in all tillage systems were at 4.0-2.0 mm size and the least frequently found aggregates were 1.0-0.5 mm. The mean weight diameter (MWD) value increased in the NT compared to the conventional tillage practices at the rates of 137% and 204%, respectively at 0-15 cm soil depth. Aggregate-associated SOC contents in 0-15 cm depth were higher under conservation tillage systems. However, the highest SOC at 15-30 cm depth were greater mainly in conventional tillage systems as 9.4% for both CT1 and CT2. The results indicated that conservation tillage systems had greater aggregation and carbon storage at the soil surface.

show abstract

“…Forage radish (Raphanus sativus) Not specified Denmark [24] Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea), soybeans (Glycine max)…”

Section: Reduce Soil Compactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Particularly when paired with high biomass reduced tillage systems, cover crops can be a highly effective weed control option for organic farmers, as demonstrated by cover crop-based reduced tillage systems [33,58,59,61,62,70]. Beyond high biomass reduced tillage systems, planted in rotation with cash crop production, cover crops provide weed suppression through resource competition [58], niche disruption through modification of light, soil temperature, and/or soil moisture [24,28], and allelopathy [58,62,71]. Cover crops can have positive or negative impacts on pest and disease problems, with certain cover and cash crop combinations (either simultaneously or sequentially) either attracting more pest insects, or conversely, more beneficial predators that reduce pest populations.…”

Section: Green Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cover Crops as an Agroecological Practice on Organic Vegetable Farms in Wisconsin, USA

Silva

Moore

2017

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Global agricultural and food systems face the challenge of feeding a growing world population in the face of finite and diminishing resources. To guide the redesign of agricultural systems, farmers and policymakers are increasingly turning to agroecology. Organic agriculture has historically integrated agroecological practices within its regulatory framework; however, questions remain as to the extent to which organic farmers are maintaining and expanding agroecological practices. In this paper, we will address convergences and divergences of agroecological and organic practices. Using cover cropping as a model agroecological practice, we conduct a preliminary assessment on the degree to which organic vegetable farms in Wisconsin, USA are integrating agroecological concepts into their farm management, drawing upon the results of a 2013 cover cropping practice survey. The survey data demonstrates varying degrees of complexity and diversity in cover cropping practices, potentially illustrating the desire of organic farmers to promote a high degree of agroecosystem services. Farmers' integration of cover crop diversity and complexity was not correlated to farm size or revenue. These results offer preliminary evidence that Wisconsin's organic vegetable farmers are integrating agroecological practices on their farms, even as growth in the organic market continues to occur.

show abstract

Tillage System and Cover Crop Effects on Soil Quality: I. Chemical, Mechanical, and Biological Properties

Cited by 120 publications

References 51 publications

Importance of cover crops in alleviating negative effects of reduced soil tillage and promoting soil fertility in a winter wheat cropping system

Importance of cover crops in alleviating negative effects of reduced soil tillage and promoting soil fertility in a winter wheat cropping system

Effects of long-term tillage systems on aggregate-associated organic carbon in the eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey

Cover Crops as an Agroecological Practice on Organic Vegetable Farms in Wisconsin, USA

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About