Winter rye as a cover crop reduces nitrate loss to subsurface drainage as simulated by HERMES

Malone, Robert W.; Kersebaum, Kurt Christian; Kaspar, T. C.; Ma, Liwang; Jaynes, Dan B.; Gillette, K.

doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2017.01.016

Cited by 36 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 85 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…116.7 and 17.3 kg N ha −1 ). However, these are comparable to HERMES model simulations for the same field site (132.0 and 17.7 kg N ha −1 ), which were discussed as reasonable for the conditions [72]. The year 2010 was not used for mineralization and denitrification values to maintain equal years for corn and soybean and to conform Gillette et al [34].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Drainage N Loads Under Climate Change with Winter Rye Cover Crop in a Northern Mississippi River Basin Corn-Soybean Rotation

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To help reduce future N loads entering the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River 45%, Iowa set the goal of reducing non-point source N loads 41%. Studies show that implementing winter rye cover crops into agricultural systems reduces N loads from subsurface drainage, but its effectiveness in the Mississippi River Basin under expected climate change is uncertain. We used the field-tested Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) to estimate drainage N loads, crop yield, and rye growth in central Iowa corn-soybean rotations. RZWQM scenarios included baseline (BL) observed weather (1991–2011) and ambient CO2 with cover crop and no cover crop treatments (BL_CC and BL_NCC). Scenarios also included projected future temperature and precipitation change (2065–2085) from six general circulation models (GCMs) and elevated CO2 with cover crop and no cover crop treatments (CC and NCC). Average annual drainage N loads under NCC, BL_NCC, CC and BL_CC were 63.6, 47.5, 17.0, and 18.9 kg N ha−1. Winter rye cover crop was more effective at reducing drainage N losses under climate change than under baseline conditions (73 and 60% for future and baseline climate), mostly because the projected temperatures and atmospheric CO2 resulted in greater rye growth and crop N uptake. Annual CC drainage N loads were reduced compared with BL_NCC more than the targeted 41% for 18 to 20 years of the 21-year simulation, depending on the GCM. Under projected climate change, average annual simulated crop yield differences between scenarios with and without winter rye were approximately 0.1 Mg ha−1. These results suggest that implementing winter rye cover crop in a corn-soybean rotation effectively addresses the goal of drainage N load reduction under climate change in a northern Mississippi River Basin agricultural system without affecting cash crop production.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Drainage N Loads Under Climate Change with Winter Rye Cover Crop in a Northern Mississippi River Basin Corn-Soybean Rotation

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Winter annual cover crops planted in the fall afford several positive impacts. They immobilize NO 3 and thereby decrease its leaching through the rooting zone into groundwater and tile drains [69]. They prevent erosion by dampening the force of rainfall [36], reduce above ground water flow rate, decrease runoff, and increase infiltration of water into the soil [70].…”

Section: Annual Cover Crop Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regenerating Agricultural Landscapes with Perennial Groundcover for Intensive Crop Production

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Midwestern U.S. landscape is one of the most highly altered and intensively managed ecosystems in the country. The predominant crops grown are maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr]. They are typically grown as monocrops in a simple yearly rotation or with multiple years of maize (2 to 3) followed by a single year of soybean. This system is highly productive because the crops and management systems have been well adapted to the regional growing conditions through substantial public and private investment. Furthermore, markets and supporting infrastructure are highly developed for both crops. As maize and soybean production have intensified, a number of concerns have arisen due to the unintended environmental impacts on the ecosystem. Many areas across the Midwest are experiencing negative impacts on water quality, soil degradation, and increased flood risk due to changes in regional hydrology. The water quality impacts extend even further downstream. We propose the development of an innovative system for growing maize and soybean with perennial groundcover to recover ecosystem services historically provided naturally by predominantly perennial native plant communities. Reincorporating perennial plants into annual cropping systems has the potential of restoring ecosystem services without negatively impacting grain crop production and offers the prospect of increasing grain crop productivity through improving the biological functioning of the system.

show abstract

“…In the modified model, water drainage rate was accelerated by tile percentage map coefficient (Equation ), which was calibrated using data from Malone et al. ().

K_{normaldrain} = K_{drain}^{'} \times (K_{tile} \times 10 + 1)

where K drain is the adjusting factor for water infiltration rate, and K tile is the percentage of tile drainage applied in a grid‐cell ranging from 0 to 1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term terrestrial carbon dynamics in the Midwestern United States during 1850–2015: Roles of land use and cover change and agricultural management

Lü

Cao

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To meet the increasing food and biofuel demand, the Midwestern United States has become one of the most intensively human-disturbed hotspots, characterized by widespread cropland expansion and various management practices. However, the role of human activities in the carbon (C) cycling across managed landscape remains far from certain. In this study, based on state- and national census, field experiments, and model simulation, we comprehensively examined long-term carbon storage change in response to land use and cover change (LUCC) and agricultural management in the Midwest from 1850 to 2015. We also quantified estimation uncertainties related to key parameter values. Model estimation showed LUCC led to a reduction of 1.35 Pg (with a range of 1.3-1.4 Pg) in vegetation C pool of the Midwest, yet agricultural management barely affected vegetation C change. In comparison, LUCC reduced SOC by 4.5 Pg (3.1 to 6.2 Pg), while agricultural management practices increased SOC stock by 0.9 Pg. Moreover, we found 45% of the study area was characterized by continuously decreasing SOC caused by LUCC, and SOC in 13% and 31% of the area was fully and partially recovered, respectively, since 1850. Agricultural management was estimated to increase the area of full recovery and partial recovery by 8.5% and 1.1%. Our results imply that LUCC plays an essential role in regional C balance, and more importantly, sustainable land management can be beneficial for strengthening C sequestration of the agroecosystems in the Midwestern US, which may serve as an important contributor to C sinks in the US.

show abstract

Winter rye as a cover crop reduces nitrate loss to subsurface drainage as simulated by HERMES

Cited by 36 publications

References 85 publications

Drainage N Loads Under Climate Change with Winter Rye Cover Crop in a Northern Mississippi River Basin Corn-Soybean Rotation

Drainage N Loads Under Climate Change with Winter Rye Cover Crop in a Northern Mississippi River Basin Corn-Soybean Rotation

Regenerating Agricultural Landscapes with Perennial Groundcover for Intensive Crop Production

Long‐term terrestrial carbon dynamics in the Midwestern United States during 1850–2015: Roles of land use and cover change and agricultural management

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About