Soil quality response to cover crops and amendments in a vineyard in Nova Scotia, Canada

Combinations of cover crop mixtures and bio-waste composts enhance biomass production and nutrients accumulation: a greenhouse study

“…In addition, oats can also provide structural support for vetch to climb. The cover crop mixtures with their high biomass could be beneficial for major cropping systems in Nova Scotia including vineyards and potatoes as the first are generally established on sloping and coarse-textured soils susceptible to erosion and the second on sandy soils with low organic matter 2 , 3 , 7 . Our study was conducted in a greenhouse and therefore cover crops were not exposed to some environmental constraints found on-farm situations.…”

“…Cover crops and bio-waste compost are key components of sustainable fertility practices aiming at improving fertilization efficiency 1 . The combination of the two components improves soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) 2 , meets crops N and phosphorus (P) requirements, and improves soil quality and health 3 , 4 . The role of cover crops in the system, however, depends on the quantity and quality of plant biomass including above and below ground residues incorporated into the soil 5 , 6 .…”

“…The role of cover crops in the system, however, depends on the quantity and quality of plant biomass including above and below ground residues incorporated into the soil 5 , 6 . In addition, studies have shown that there is a positive interaction between cover crops and organic amendments 2 , 7 .…”

“…During the past decades, diverse cover crop mixtures combined with bio-waste composts have been implemented in various cropping systems in Nova Scotia, Canada 2 , 3 , 7 . The ability to improve soil quality and N cycling and the influence on crop yields was compared with synthetic fertilizers and contrasting results were obtained 2 , 3 , 7 . Visual observations indicated differences in plant biomass produced by the cover crops and returned to soil as a result of organic amendment application, but little effort has been made to assess their quantity and quality due to associated management constraints 1 .…”

Improving yield and water use efficiency of apple trees through intercrop-mulch of crown vetch (Coronilla varia L.) combined with different fertilizer treatments in the Loess Plateau

“…As a perennial legume, crown vetch can live for several years if well managed and sprout in late March each year after being sown in the first year, and it can form root nodules, control weeds, prevent soil erosion, and improve soil fertility (Wheeler, 1974;Symstad, 2004). As a legume, crown vetch can mitigate nitrogen competition due to its ability to fix atmospheric N 2 via root nodules, compared to other nonlegume species, and other similar studies found that nitrogen competition was mitigated by legume grass cover systems (King & Berry, 2005;Messiga et al, 2015). In our experiment, the total net return (for three years) of IM was 31.5% higher than that of NIM, and that of IM combined with NPKM was 72.35% higher than that of IM alone.…”