Building Soils with Cover Crops - Richland...
Transcript of Building Soils with Cover Crops - Richland...
4/8/2019
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Building Soils with Cover Crops
Rongzhong Ye
Depart. of Plant & Environmental Sciences
Pee Dee Research & Education Center
Clemson University
04/03/2019
Soil Health Research
Ma
na
ge
me
nt,
la
nd
use,
clim
ate
Soil
Health
Soil
chemical
processe
s
Soil
biological
processe
s
Soil
physical
processe
s
Goal: Better understand the ecology of soil and hence to improve
management of agroecosystems and their sustainability
Environmental Outcomes:
1. Water quality
2. Carbon sequestration
3. GHG emissions
Agronomic Outcomes:
1. Resource use efficiency
2. Crop resilience
3. Quality and quantity of
production
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Many SC soils are highly degraded
• Long-term cultivation and intensive tillage
• Hot and humid climate favor microbial
decomposition
• Extensive clay mineral weathering and
clay eluviation
• Degraded soil structure
• Low soil organic matter
• Poor water and nutrient holding capacity
• Meager soil fertility USDA-NRCS
Purposes of cover cropping
• Reduce soil erosion • Increase soil organic matter • Improve biodiversity • Enhance nutrient availability • Promote biological nitrogen fixation • Reducing resources inputs • Suppress weeds and disease • Manage soil moisture and temperature • Minimize soil compaction
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Cover crops are different
e.g. growth, root structures, nutrient requirements
How the functional trait diversity of cover
crops affects designed outcomes?
Cereal Rye Winter Pea Crimson Clover Cotton
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Field and laboratory analyses
Agronomic Assessment
Texture Bulk density Soil structure pH Labile C Water content Available N and P N leaching potential Electrical conductivity Microbial biomass N mineralization potential Enzymatic activities Respiration Residue decomposition
Soil Health Attributes
Biological
Chemical
Physical
Cover crop production Cotton growth Lint yield Lint quality
Difference in carbon and nutrient credits
0.01.02.03.04.05.06.0
Rye
Crim
son
Pe
a
RC
RP
CP
RC
P
Bio
mas
s (t
on
e h
a-1)
010203040506070
Rye
Crim
son
Pe
a
RC
RP
CP
RC
P
Bio
mas
s N
(kg
ha-1
)
02468
1012
Rye
Crim
son
Pe
a
RC
RP
CP
RC
P
Bio
mas
s P
(kg
ha-1
)
0
20
40
60
80
Rye
Crim
son
Pe
a
RC
RP
CP
RC
P
Bio
mas
s K
(kg
ha-1
)
Biomass
N
P
K
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5
0
50
100
150
200
250
20-May 9-Jun 29-Jun 19-Jul 8-Aug 28-Aug 17-Sep 7-Oct
Bio
mas
s (g
)
Rye
Crimson
Pea
RC
RP
CP
RCP
Control
Affect cotton plant growth
Hurricane Florence
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
Rye Crimson Pea RC RP CP RCP Control
Lin
t Y
ield
(kg h
a-1)
Cotton lint yield
a
b
ab ab
ab ab ab ab
Stepwise Regression Analysis
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0 20 40 60 80 100
Rye
Crimson
Pea
RC
RP
CP
RCP
0 20 40 60 80 100
RyeCrimson
PeaRCRPCP
RCPControl
0 20 40 60 80 100
Rye
Crimson
Pea
RC
RP
CP
RCP
0 20 40 60 80 100
Rye
Crimson
PeaRC
RP
CP
RCP
Control
2. N provision capacity
3. N Leaching potential
4. Soil N availability 1. C sequestration potential
Trade-offs
0 20 40 60 80 100
RyeCrimson
PeaRCRPCP
RCPControl
5. Yield
• Mixtures not necessary better
• Management goal matters
Synchronization of nutrient releases and crop
uptakes
Cover crop mineralization
Time
10-Apr 30-May 19-Jul 7-Sep 27-Oct
Rat
e o
f m
iner
ali
zati
on a
nd
upta
ke
of
P
10-Apr 30-May 19-Jul 7-Sep 27-Oct
Rat
e o
f m
iner
ali
azti
on a
nd
upta
ek o
f K
K release
P release
P uptake
K uptake
Termination timing?
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Demonstrating the influence of cover crop
termination time on nutrient provision and yield
of cash crops (2018-2021)
Contact: Email: [email protected]
Phone: (843)519-0494
0
20
40
60
Micro Macro
% Clay
Control
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
Clay Control
mm
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Clay Control
kg
C h
a-1
0
50
100
150
CB NAG LAP PHO BG XYL
mg
g-1
h-1
Clay Control
a b c d