Cover Crop Residue Amount and Quality Effects on Soil Organic Carbon Mineralization

Abstract

Decline in soil organic carbon (SOC) and the associated impacts on crop production under conventional farming raises concerns on how alternative management practices increase SOC sequestration and improve agricultural sustainability. This study aimed to understand SOC mineralization kinetics with different cover crop (CC) residue amendments. Soil samples were collected from a fallow and three CC (pea, oat, and canola) plots. Soil samples from the CC plots were manipulated with zero, five, and 10 Mg ha −1 of the respective CC residues. All soil samples were incubated for eight weeks, SOC mineralization was monitored, and the first order kinetic and parabolic equation models were fitted to the observed data for estimating labile SOC (C 0 ), and the decomposition rate constant (k). Subsequent comparisons of fitted model parameters were based on the first order kinetic model. The C 0 varied with the residue amount while k varied with CC type. C 0 was 591-858% greater with 10 Mg ha −1 and 289-456% greater with five Mg ha −1 residue additions while k was 122-297% greater with 10 Mg ha −1 and 94-240% greater with five Mg ha −1 residue additions when compared to the fallow treatment. The CC residue stimulated cumulative carbon mineralization (C min ) irrespective of CC type, suggesting that cover cropping has potential to improve SOC cycling in agroecosystems.

Winter cover crops effects on soil properties and sweet corn yield in semi‐arid irrigated systems

“…The integration of WCCs into cropping systems can increase ecosystem services and maximize the benefits provided by agricultural systems (Schipanski et al., ). Many of these benefits can be recognized through improvement of the soil, including erosion protection, improved aggregation, nutrient cycling, reduced compaction and an increase in soil organic carbon (SOC; Dabney, Delgado, & Reeves, ; Ghimire, Ghimire, VanLeeuwen, & Mesbah, ). Along with providing an abundance of soil services, WCCs can further aid in weed control, disease suppression, increased soil biological activity, increased water infiltration, and N‐fixation (Dabney et al., ; Marcillo & Miguez, ).…”

“…In the near future, it will be necessary to provide considerably more food and fiber with, at most, the same amount of resources as farmers today (Tilman, Balzer, Hill, & Befort, 2011). To continue to provide food and fiber to a growing population with limiting resources, agricultural organic carbon (SOC; Dabney, Delgado, & Reeves, 2001;Ghimire, Ghimire, VanLeeuwen, & Mesbah, 2017). Along with providing an abundance of soil services, WCCs can further aid in weed control, disease suppression, increased soil biological activity, increased water infiltration, and N-fixation (Dabney et al, 2001;Marcillo & Miguez, 2017).…”

Soil Biological Fertility and Bacterial Community Response to Land Use Intensity: A Case Study in the Mediterranean Area

“…It has been previously reported that soil fertility is proportional to the soil microbial activity and SOM, as well as altering environmental conditions and land uses [47,48]. It has also been proved that crop residues and cover crops increase soil microbial biomass and activity and improve SOC sequestration in the long-term [49]. Therefore, cover crop residues stimulated cumulative carbon mineralization and improved SOC cycling in vineyard ecosystem, resulting in high level of BFI.…”

Linking Soil Health to Sustainable Crop Production: Dairy Compost Effects on Soil Properties and Sorghum Biomass

“…− and NH 4 + ] was determined by extracting 5-g soil subsamples in 25 mL 1-molar potassium chloride solution and analyzing in an automated TL-2800 single channel ammonia analyzer (Timberline Instruments, Boulder, CO, USA). For estimating PMC, 20 g soil subsamples were incubated for 28 days following the aerobic procedures described in detail in Ghimire et al [27]. The same incubated soil samples were subjected to estimate PMN using an automated TL-2800 single channel ammonia analyzer.…”