Cover Crop Residue Management for Effective Use of Mineralized Nitrogen in Greenhouse Tomato Production

Abstract

Adequate residue management may enhance the benefits of cover crops on greenhouse tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) productivity, soil N pool, N cycling, and environmental quality. Regardless of management, cover crops may maintain or increase soil N storage at 10 cm depth compared with bare fallow. Cover crops may also enhance microbial biomass N, as a result, soil N availability may increase with cover crops, except rye (Secale cereale L.), more so with hairy vetch (Vicia villosa R.; HV) incorporation than HV mulch and the biculture of HV and rye. Residual inorganic N at surface soil may increase with cover crops, more so with HV and rye monocultures than the biculture. Tomato yield may increase more with the biculture than either HV incorporation or HV mulch because of an efficient residue-N use by tomatoes. The biculture may change the N release pattern from both cover crops: rye of the biculture may release more N than the monoculture, while HV may release a similar or more N in the late than in the early period of tomato growth. With adequate seeding HV/rye ratio (2/1), biculture may maintain or increase soil N storage, increase N cycling and tomato yield, and improve environmental quality.

Optimizing the Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Vegetable Crops

“…However, because of the relatively high levels of external inputs, the legume cover crops increased the surplus of N in the system, which may result in environmental losses, while rye was more effective as a cover crop, to minimize N surplus levels from the system [217]. Based on multi-year cover crop evaluations conducted in Japan, including 15 N studies, a combined 2:1 hairy vetch/rye planting ratio was also found to improve the mineralization and synchronization of N release by the individual species, with the N uptake demand of tomato, along with an increase in the overall soil N pool and N cycling [218].…”