Effects of cover crops on soil structure and on yield of subsequent arable crops grown under strip tillage on an eroded alfisol

Wilson, G. F.; Lal, Rattan; Okigbo, B. N.

doi:10.1016/0167-1987(82)90013-7

Cited by 101 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Blanco-Canqui et al (2011) also reported a 4% increase in soil water content with cover crop. These results suggest an improvement in bio-pores which have been reported to increase water retention and infiltration (Bruce et al, 1992;Joyce et al, 2002;Wilson et al, 1982) and to reduce runoff and soil loss. However, Ewing et al (1991) suggested that cover crop lowered soil moisture and reduced the productivity of subsequent cash crops.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 51%

Effects of Tillage, Rotation and Cover Crop on the Physical Properties of a Silt-Loam Soil

Haruna¹,

Nkongolo²

2015

International Agrophysics

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A b s t r a c t. Soil and crop management practices can affect the physical properties and have a direct impact on soil sustainability and crop performance. The objective of this study was to investigate how soil physical properties were affected by three years of tillage, cover crop and crop rotation treatments in a corn and soybean field. The study was conducted on a Waldron siltyloam soil at Lincoln University of Missouri. Soil physical properties studied were soil bulk density, volumetric and gravimetric water contents, volumetric air content, total pore space, air-filled and water-filled pore space, gas diffusion coefficient and pore tortuosity factor. Results showed significant interactions (p<0.05) between cover crop and crop rotation for bulk density, gravimetric and total pore space in 2013. In addition, cover crop also significantly interacted (p<0.05) with tillage for bulk density and total pore space. All soil physical properties studied were significantly affected by the depth of sampling (p<0.0001), except for bulk density, the pore tortuosity factor and total pore space in 2012, and gravimetric and volumetric in 2013. Overall, soil physical properties were significantly affected by the treatments, with the effects changing from one year to another. Addition of a cover crop improved soil physical properties better in rotation than in monoculture.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 51%

Effects of Tillage, Rotation and Cover Crop on the Physical Properties of a Silt-Loam Soil

Haruna¹,

Nkongolo²

2015

International Agrophysics

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“…Concurrently increases occurred over time in levels of soil organic C ( p < 0.05), pH ( p < 0.001) and total acids ( p < 0.001). Increases in soil organic C and pH have been reported previously for soils under ameliorative plantings (Juo and Lal, 1977;Lal, 1987;Lal, et al, 1979;Wilson, et al, 1982). The decrease in other soil chemical parameters over time was unexpected, and has not been reported previously.…”

Section: Soil Chemical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 49%

“…In general, biological methods (planting tree, shrub or herb species for one or two years) have had a higher success rate in humid and subhumid regions than mechanically based techniques of soil amelioration, with leguminous species outperforming graminaceous species (Lal, et al, 1979;Wilson, et al, 1982;Hulugalle and Lal, 1986a;1986b;Hulugalle, et al, 1985;IITA, 1986a;1988;Hairiah and Van Noordwijk, 1986;Lal, 1987). In contrast, research on ameliorating highly degraded soils which have been under heavily mechanized agriculture (with or without tillage) with high rates of fertilizer use over periods 2 10 years has been sparse.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Amelioration of a highly degraded tropical alfisol by planting I. Changes in soil physical and chemical properties 1989‐91

Hulugalle

1992

Land Degrad Dev

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This paper examines soil amelioration by planting 15 leguminous and graminaceous plant species, including herbaceous annuals, perennials and biennials, and woody perennials and biennials. Disturbed and undisturbed natural regrowth were planted with leguminous species, in some cases with fertilizer applied at planting (400 kg ha-of 15: 15: 15 NPK). The studies were made on two highly degraded sites in southwestern Nigeria which had been subjected to intensive mechanized cropping for a period of 10 years. Changes in soil physical and chemical properties were monitored from 1989 to 1991. Acacia dificilis, Brachiaria lata and Mucuna utilis had the lowest survival rates by the following growing season. Soil fertility and compaction levels differed between sites. Planting had no effect on the latter. The decreases in compaction (i.e. macroporosity) between 0.00 and 0.10 m depth at both sites one month before and five and 17 months after planting were 43, 59 and 61 per cent, respectively were attributed to exclusion of heavy machinery from the sites. Large decreases in fertility occurred at both sites and were attributed to a combination of nutrient extraction and to leaching. Between fallow species, exchangeable Ca, pH and the cation-exchange capacity (CEC) were greater and total acids lower for herbaceous cover compared with woody perennials, and was attributed to a higher Ca demand by the latter. Highest and lowest values of Ca, CEC and pH occurred in plots where plant material was returned to the soil (i.e. by cutting or die-back) and in cropped plots, respectively. Natural regrowth was as effective or better than planted species in improving soil physical and chemical properties. Therefore the use of exotic plant species for ameliorating highly degraded alfisols is unnecessary. Amelioration of highly degraded alfisols may be best effected by allowing natural regrowth t.0 occur while excluding all mechanized traffic from the site.KEY WORDS Tropical alfisol Mechanized cropping Soil degradation Herbaceous and woody plant cover for soil amelioration Soil compaction Calcium pH

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“…Apart from the nutrient aspect, a large problem of many cover crops is that they climb and then seriously damage the trees (e.g. Wilson et al, 1982). This can only be controlled by frequent cutting, which proves very labor intensive.…”

Section: Management Of Cover Crops For Enhancing the Nutrient Benefitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legume Cover Crops and Nutrient Cycling in Tropical Fruit Tree Production

Lehmann¹,

Silva²,

Trujillo³

et al. 2000

Acta Hortic.

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Legume cover crops have various important effects on nutrient cycling in tropical fruit tree production: they (i) fix atmospheric N 2 and may amend the soil and trees with N, (ii) recycle nutrients, and (iii) affect soil nutrient availability. Aboveground N accumulation usually is very large in legume cover crops as seen from Pueraria phaseoloides being 8 to 14 times higher than in intercropped fruit trees. Biomass production and N turnover will often exceed these values. Nutrient cycling may be significantly enhanced by the cover, leading to less nutrient leaching and higher nutrient contents in the topsoil, such as K. The amount of biological N fixation is an important factor for the N cycling. As a result, total soil N contents may often increase and N availability is enhanced. For nutrients other than N which cannot be supplied by the legume from external sources like P, the cover crop may induce nutrient competition resulting in lower tree nutrition.

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Effects of cover crops on soil structure and on yield of subsequent arable crops grown under strip tillage on an eroded alfisol

Cited by 101 publications

References 7 publications

Effects of Tillage, Rotation and Cover Crop on the Physical Properties of a Silt-Loam Soil

Effects of Tillage, Rotation and Cover Crop on the Physical Properties of a Silt-Loam Soil

Amelioration of a highly degraded tropical alfisol by planting I. Changes in soil physical and chemical properties 1989‐91

Legume Cover Crops and Nutrient Cycling in Tropical Fruit Tree Production

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