Corn/kura clover living mulch system effects on root growth, soil loss, runoff water and water quality

Abstract

Introduction Materials and MethodsResults and Discussion 7 Conclusions References Cited V CF[APTER 4. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS APPENDIX A. DATA FOR C~:iAPTER 2 APPENDIX B. DATA FOR C~:[APTER 3 APPENDIX C. ADDITIONAL DATA ACKI~TOWLEDGEMENTS vl for this region should efficiently integrate row crop agriculture with animal production systems.Recent research indicates that row crop production, especially corn, might be made considerably more environmentally friendly with use of a kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) living mulch (Albrecht et al., 1999; Zemenchik et al., 2000). The combination of corn and clover fits well with integrated row crop/animal enterprises. This combination should be more environmentally friendly in terms of phosphorus and soil losses than conventional carn production; however, data are missing that could prove or disprove this hypothesis.The general goal of this research is to increase our knowledge regarding soil conservation and interspecies competition with corn-kura clover living mulch systems. This thesis contains three separate chapters. The first contains the general introduction and explanation of the thesis, and is followed by the literature review of the research topic. The second chapter addresses the first study conducted: Corn/kura clover living mulch effects on root growth patterns. The third chapter addresses a second study: Corn/kura clover living mulch effects on soil erosion, water runoff, and phosphorus losses. Chapters two and three are written in manuscript format and will be submitted to peer reviewed journals for publication.