Legume cover crop management on nitrogen dynamics and yield in grain corn systems

Coombs, C. W.; Lauzon, John D.; Deen, Bill; Eerd, Laura L. Van

doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2016.11.001

Cited by 88 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Overall, the average C to N ratio for all three legumes varied with a range of 14.2 to 15.6 for CC, 13.2 to 13.9 for HV, and 13.8 to 15.1 for RC. These ratios were comparable with the values for CC (11.0 to 14.2) but were greater than the values for RC (9.4 to 11.7), in a study conducted around 90 km east from this field site using conventional production methods (Coombs et al, 2017). The variability in C to N ratios by crop type could be the result of differences in development, relative plant component composition (i.e., leaves, stems, roots) and soil properties at the time of sampling.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Coombs et al (2017) found less RC biomass accumulation in their study, in which RC was planted in late May to mid‐July relative to the RC planted in mid‐March to mid‐April in similar climates and they speculated that a shorter growing period could contribute to these results. Spring and fall biomass values of RC in the current study were 4059 and 6796 kg ha −1 , which were greater than the values reported for RC (734–3140 kg ha −1 ) from a similar soil within ∼90 km of this field site (Coombs et al, 2017) as well as greater than the 690 to 4200 kg ha −1 reported in temperate climates (Snapp et al, 2005; Gaudin et al (2013, 2014). Coombs et al (2017) noted that when RC was left alive over winter, biomass was increased relative to the fall biomass in Ontario (Vyn et al, 2000; Gaudin et al, 2013; Thilakarathna et al, 2015) as well as in Ohio and Michigan (Henry et al, 2010; Gentry et al, 2013).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 80%

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Legume Cover Crops Provide Nitrogen to Corn During a Three‐Year Transition to Organic Cropping

et al. 2019

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Crop yields are often lower during the "three-year transition" period from conventional to organic production systems. This paper presents the results from an organic cropping trial which used summer-seeded legume cover crops as the primary N source for corn in a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr)winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The cover crop treatments included crimson clover (CC, Trifolium incarnatum L.), hairy vetch (HV, Vicia villosa Roth subsp. villosa) and red clover (RC, Trifolium pratense L.). Also included were a conventional control (CKC, with synthetic fertilizers) and an organic control (CKO, no synthetic fertilizer) without cover crops. The objectives were to determine the N and C accumulation in the legume above-ground biomass; the impacts of cover crops on residual soil mineral N (RSN) in late fall and on crop grain yields during the 3-yr transition period. Compared to CKC, cover crops left less RSN (51 kg N ha -1 less) in the soil profile (0-90 mm) by late November. In early May before plow-down, significantly more above-ground biomass was found for HV (3313 kg C ha -1 , 240 kg N ha -1 ) and RC (2766 kg C ha -1 , 199 kg N ha -1 ) than for CC (1787 kg C ha -1 , 119 kg N ha -1 ). In the three-year transition period, average corn grain yields were 13.1 and 13. 0 Mg ha -1 for HV and RC which were similar (P = 0.05) to CKC (13.8 Mg ha -1 ) but greater than CKO (6.4 Mg ha -1 ) (P = 0.05). This study highlighted the effectiveness of using HV or RC as a primary N source for organic corn production in southwestern Ontario.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Legume Cover Crops Provide Nitrogen to Corn During a Three‐Year Transition to Organic Cropping

et al. 2019

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“…Both legume and non-legume cover crops decreased grain yields but legumenon-legume mixed cover crops increased yield significantly (by ≈13%). In contrast, Coombs, Lauzon, Deen, and Eerd (2017) found alfalfa and red clover (legume) had a positive impact on corn yield in 1 of 2 years. A review by Tonitto et al (2006) reported a 10% reduction in grain yield of primary crops under legume cover crops.…”

Section: Impacts Of Cover Crops (Legume Nonlegume and Legume-non-lmentioning

confidence: 84%

A critical review of the impacts of cover crops on nitrogen leaching, net greenhouse gas balance and crop productivity

Abdalla

Hastings

Cheng

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

457

279

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Cover crops play an increasingly important role in improving soil quality, reducing agricultural inputs and improving environmental sustainability. The main objectives of this critical global review and systematic analysis were to assess cover crop practices in the context of their impacts on nitrogen leaching, net greenhouse gas balances (NGHGB) and crop productivity. Only studies that investigated the impacts of cover crops and measured one or a combination of nitrogen leaching, soil organic carbon (SOC), nitrous oxide (N2O), grain yield and nitrogen in grain of primary crop, and had a control treatment were included in the analysis. Long‐term studies were uncommon, with most data coming from studies lasting 2–3 years. The literature search resulted in 106 studies carried out at 372 sites and covering different countries, climatic zones and management. Our analysis demonstrates that cover crops significantly (p < 0.001) decreased N leaching and significantly (p < 0.001) increased SOC sequestration without having significant (p > 0.05) effects on direct N2O emissions. Cover crops could mitigate the NGHGB by 2.06 ± 2.10 Mg CO2‐eq ha−1 year−1. One of the potential disadvantages of cover crops identified was the reduction in grain yield of the primary crop by ≈4%, compared to the control treatment. This drawback could be avoided by selecting mixed cover crops with a range of legumes and non‐legumes, which increased the yield by ≈13%. These advantages of cover crops justify their widespread adoption. However, management practices in relation to cover crops will need to be adapted to specific soil, management and regional climatic conditions.

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“…In general, most cover crops require 40-60 days of growth to maximize fall biomass production before a killing frost [46]. There is a long enough (a maximum of 2 1 2 months) fall growing season in temperate North America following winter wheat harvest in late-July/early-August for full season cover crops to reach the early stages of reproductive development [18,19]; however, the growing season will typically observe limited growth after soybean and corn harvests (as little as 2 weeks in some years) in September to October [27,47]. The early sowing in corn-soybean rotations remains a challenge.…”

Section: Crop Rotation and Cropping System Compatibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, it over-winters (i.e., new growth can be seen in the spring) and produces higher quality biomass (with a lower C:N ratio) compared to non-N-fixing grasses. The drawback associated with red clover is its non-uniform stand establishment, low volume of biomass produced, and high seed cost compared to grass cover crops such as oats and cereal rye [19,25,27]. Similarly, forage radish (Raphanus sativus L. var.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Potential of Multi-Species Mixtures to Diversify Cover Crop Benefits

2020

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Cover crops provide a range of well-documented benefits to growers and the environment. However, no single species can deliver all of these benefits, and hence planting mixtures is gaining increasing attention. To the best of our knowledge, there is no comprehensive review on different multi-mix strategies. This article reviews available studies on multi-mixes, focusing on temperate North America, and discusses objective criteria for selecting components of a multi-mix and what future research is needed. Very few peer-reviewed studies on multi-mixes are currently available; a diversity of species compositions is being tested with a wide range of potential benefits but also with various limitations. Selection of species in multi-mixes is based on different criteria that help improve multiple ecosystem services. An emerging concept is the importance of selecting cover crop species with functional complementarity rather than simply increasing the number of species. Based on this concept, objective criteria have been developed to select the species for a multi-mix: grower objectives/primary purpose of planting the cover crop, crop rotation and cropping system compatibility, above and belowground compatibility, complementarity of different ecosystem functions, compatibility with the growing environment, duration for cover crop growth, termination option(s) available, input/labour costs, planting equipment required, persistence/weediness, and potential net economic returns. We propose a step-wise procedure to develop effective multi-species mixtures. The number of species and their ratio in the mixtures will depend on objective criteria, and hence long-term research is required to assess different species compositions and their impacts.Sustainability 2020, 12, 2058 2 of 16 and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in a 3 year rotation system (e.g., CSW rotation). Unfortunately, from August to April, depending on the cash crop, the ground is often bare. This creates potential for using cover crops to produce ecosystem services or to mitigate ecosystem dis-services associated with existing cropping system(s) [20]. Some examples of cover crops used in the region are: 1) red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), frost-seeded into winter wheat [18,19,21], which can be terminated in late fall (or can be over-wintered under no-till condition), with corn planted in the following spring, and 2) oats (Avena sativa L.), seeded after winter wheat or cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) sown after corn or soybean, which are terminated in late-fall (i.e., November) or the following spring (i.e., April-May) prior to planting another main crop, usually corn or soybean [22,23].Planting a single species of the cover crop has both benefits and disadvantages. Cover crop species such as oats and cereal rye produce excellent amounts of aboveground biomass, and they appear to be economic (e.g., low seed cost and high availability). However, they also come with certain drawbacks, e.g., they are not nitrogen-fixing; the biomass contains a higher C:N ratio compared...

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Legume cover crop management on nitrogen dynamics and yield in grain corn systems

Cited by 88 publications

References 40 publications

Legume Cover Crops Provide Nitrogen to Corn During a Three‐Year Transition to Organic Cropping

Legume Cover Crops Provide Nitrogen to Corn During a Three‐Year Transition to Organic Cropping

A critical review of the impacts of cover crops on nitrogen leaching, net greenhouse gas balance and crop productivity

The Potential of Multi-Species Mixtures to Diversify Cover Crop Benefits

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