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Agriculture
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Benefits and Challenges of Cover Crops in Agricultural Systems
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Benefits and Challenges of Cover Crops in Agricultural Systems

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Systems and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2025) | Viewed by 4481

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Insa Kühling

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agronomy and Crop Science, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
Interests: cropping systems; crop rotation; cover crops; legumes; sustainable intensification; remote sensing; crop growth modelling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cover crops—sometimes referred to as catch crops—are known to provide additional ecosystem services in arable cropping systems. However, their agronomic benefits, like their effectiveness as fertilisers and yield effects, are strongly site-dependent and can also be disadvantageous. In terms of climate effects, the choice of system boundaries under spatial and temporal conditions can affect the overall balance. Therefore, a holistic evaluation of cover crops’ effects in cropping systems must assess all potential impacts, including long-term and off-site effects. To achieve the aim of maximising cover crops’ environmental benefits, we must explicitly address their challenges and risks together with potential solutions.

This Special Issue invites authors to contribute work that discusses the agronomic aspects of cover crops, as well their environmental effects and economic impacts. We welcome experimental studies conducted on a wide range of spatial scales (e.g., laboratory/incubation, field, landscape) and reviews/meta-analyses (regional and global) on cover crops in agricultural systems. We also welcome interdisciplinary approaches that include agronomic issues as one of several dimensions.

Dr. Insa Kühling
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cover crops
  • catch crops
  • nutrient cycling
  • ecosystem services
  • crop rotation
  • cropping sequence
  • sustainable intensification
  • agricultural systems

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 4942 KiB  
Article
Cross-Effect Between Cover Crops and Glyphosate-Based Herbicide Application on Microbiote Communities in Field Crops Soils
by Jérôme Bernier Brillon, Marc Lucotte, Blandine Giusti, Gilles Tremblay and Matthieu Moingt
Agriculture 2025, 15(4), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15040432 - 19 Feb 2025
Viewed by 443
Abstract
This study investigates how cover crops (CC) and different application rates of glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) may affect soil microbial communities. Our hypothesis was that the use of CC would promote the presence of certain microbial communities in soils and mitigate the potential impact [...] Read more.
This study investigates how cover crops (CC) and different application rates of glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) may affect soil microbial communities. Our hypothesis was that the use of CC would promote the presence of certain microbial communities in soils and mitigate the potential impact of GBH on these communities. CC can promote biodiversity by increasing plant diversity in fields, while GBH may have non-target effects on species that utilize the shikimate pathway. Crop managements in an experimental field in Southern Québec (Canada) consisted in Glyphosate-based Herbicide (GBH) applications rates at 0.84, 1.67 and 3.33 L ha−1 in corn, soybean and wheat fields cultivated with Direct Seeding along with CC (DSCC) and at 3.33 L ha−1 in similar crops cultivated with direct seeding but without CC (DS). DSCC did not significantly impact microbial richness compared to DS, but did alter specific abundance among prokaryotes and eukaryotes. A permutational multivariate analysis revealed that the type of crop (soybean, wheat, maize) significantly influenced the composition of eukaryotic communities in 2018 and 2019, but not prokaryotic communities. Importantly, the study identifies a cross-effect between CC and GBH application rates suggesting that herbicide use in soybean plots can influence Anaeromyxobacter populations. Also, higher abundance of Enoplea and Maxilopoda were observed in plots with the lower application rate of GBH. Both eukaryotes group are known to be sensitive to crop management. These findings emphasize the need for a holistic approach to agricultural practices, considering the combined effects of both CC and GBH application rates on soil microbial health. Ultimately, the study calls for sustainable agricultural practices that preserve microbial diversity, which is essential for maintaining ecosystem services and soil health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits and Challenges of Cover Crops in Agricultural Systems)
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14 pages, 603 KiB  
Article
Integrating Winter Cover Crops Did Not Change Cotton Lint Yield Responses to Nitrogen Fertilization in Sandy Soils
by Swabir Alhassan Musah, Pratima Poudel, Michael Jones, Bhupinder Singh Farmaha and Rongzhong Ye
Agriculture 2025, 15(4), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15040374 - 11 Feb 2025
Viewed by 736
Abstract
A two-year field trial (2021–2023) was conducted to evaluate the impacts of cover crop (CC) inclusion (cereal rye, crimson clover, mixtures of cereal rye and crimson clover, and fallow control) and nitrogen (N) fertilization (0, 22, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg N [...] Read more.
A two-year field trial (2021–2023) was conducted to evaluate the impacts of cover crop (CC) inclusion (cereal rye, crimson clover, mixtures of cereal rye and crimson clover, and fallow control) and nitrogen (N) fertilization (0, 22, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg N ha−1) in cotton production in sandy soils. Cover crops were planted in October and terminated two weeks before cotton planting in May. The N was applied in split applications. Cover crop aboveground biomass was collected, oven dried, and weighed, and then used for C and N analyses. Soils were sampled at CC termination and analyzed for biogeochemical properties. Cotton lint yields and agronomic nutrient use efficiency (aNUE) were estimated. The CC mixtures provided higher organic C and N inputs as residue returns than individual species. Integrating CCs had limited impacts on measured soil properties. Integrating CCs resulted in positive, neutral, and adverse effects on lint yield and aNUE depending on species and growing seasons. Applying N at 22 kg ha−1 increased lint yields in 2022, while higher rates did not improve the yields further. Similar patterns of impacts were observed at the N rate of 45 kg ha−1 in 2023. The results indicated that integrating CC mixtures can favor long-term C and N sequestration in sandy soils. However, optimal management is essential to realize their benefits. Relevant research to better understand the decomposition of their residues would be beneficial in improving the management of desirable outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits and Challenges of Cover Crops in Agricultural Systems)
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18 pages, 3217 KiB  
Article
Organic Manures Integrated with Cover Crops Affect Both Cover Crop and Commercial Crop Performance Including Soil Health: Effect on Cover Crop Growth, Nitrogen Uptake, and Soil Mineral N
by Paul Cottney, Lisa Black, Ethel White and Paul N. Williams
Agriculture 2025, 15(1), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15010096 - 3 Jan 2025
Viewed by 788
Abstract
Cover crops have many simultaneous roles that enhance the sustainability of agriculture compared to leaving land fallow in arable systems. In high rainfall climates, an important role of cover crops is to sequester nutrients, protecting them from loss to the environment. In many [...] Read more.
Cover crops have many simultaneous roles that enhance the sustainability of agriculture compared to leaving land fallow in arable systems. In high rainfall climates, an important role of cover crops is to sequester nutrients, protecting them from loss to the environment. In many livestock intensive regions, organic manures are applied in autumn with land left fallow over winter and then a cash crop is planted in the spring. This practice of extended fallow, combined with the poorly synchronised application of nutrients to cash crop nutrient demand, further adds to the potential for large losses of nutrients specifically nitrogen (N) to the environment through leaching and volatilization. Therefore, if cover crops could respond to these nutrients through increased biomass growth and nutrient uptake, they could reduce these losses. Therefore, it is important to choose the correct species which grows adequately to deliver these potential benefits. In the region this study is conducted, Northern Ireland, there has been little research to investigate not only what optimum cover crop species are but also what species could respond to additional nutrients in the slurry. This study comprises two experiments, in consecutive years, including a combination of three factors: cover crop species (five species; a mixture and a control representing fallow); pig slurry. Consequently, it was found that with good growing conditions, in the trial year of 2018/19, species such as forage rape and tillage radish could significantly (p < 0.05) increase the amount of N contained in their biomass and the soil (to 15 cm) by 70 and 63%, respectively, in response to slurry. Alternatively, when slurry was applied to fallow land (conventional practice), low amounts (14 and 0% in the two trial years, respectively) of the N from the slurry were detected in weed biomass or retained in the soil. This demonstrates a large loss of N from the system. Thus, the integration of responsive cover crops with slurry is a better practice to abate N loss than conventional practice, if slurry applications can not be delayed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits and Challenges of Cover Crops in Agricultural Systems)
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26 pages, 1455 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen Residual Effect of Winter Cover Crops on Maize in Uruguay: Conventional and Isotopic Evaluation
by Cristina Mori Alvez, Carlos Perdomo Varela and Amabelia del Pino Machado
Agriculture 2024, 14(12), 2123; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14122123 - 23 Nov 2024
Viewed by 590
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the nitrogen (N) residual effects of winter cover crops (CCs) on soil N availability and corn (Zea mays L.) performance over two growing seasons and at two sites in Uruguay. Both conventional and isotopic methods were used [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the nitrogen (N) residual effects of winter cover crops (CCs) on soil N availability and corn (Zea mays L.) performance over two growing seasons and at two sites in Uruguay. Both conventional and isotopic methods were used to assess the N residual effects of two legume monocultures, a legume–grass mixture, an oat monoculture, and a control without CCs. The experimental design was a randomized block with split plots, where CCs were applied to main plots and N rates (0 and 100 kg ha⁻1) to subplots. An isotopic trial with 15N was included to measure fertilizer N use efficiency (NUE). Results varied between sites: at Site 1, legume monocultures enhanced soil N availability and, along with N rate, significantly increased corn yield and N uptake. At Site 2, only the N rate affected these variables. Site 1 had a low crop 15N recovery, averaging 9.5% due to weeds and heavy rainfall, while Site 2 showed higher recovery, notably when corn succeeded lupine (35%) and mixture CCs (40%). The soil’s top layer and corn grain showed the highest 15N concentration. The study suggests that specific CC combinations tailored to site conditions may optimize corn yield and NUE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits and Challenges of Cover Crops in Agricultural Systems)
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15 pages, 1255 KiB  
Article
Using Cover Crops as Means of Controlling Weeds and Reducing the Applied Quantity of Glyphosate-Based Herbicide in No-Till Glyphosate Tolerant Soybean and Corn
by Jérôme Bernier Brillon, Marc Lucotte, Ariane Bernier, Myriam Fontaine and Matthieu Moingt
Agriculture 2024, 14(5), 659; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14050659 - 24 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1218
Abstract
Weeds represent a serious drawback affecting the productivity of field crops worldwide. While the most common approach to control weeds in no-till practices is the use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), reducing their use represents a major challenge. This two-year field study aims to [...] Read more.
Weeds represent a serious drawback affecting the productivity of field crops worldwide. While the most common approach to control weeds in no-till practices is the use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), reducing their use represents a major challenge. This two-year field study aims to evaluate whether the use of cover crops (CC) in transgenic soybean and corn productions can (1) help control weeds and (2) reduce the amount of GBH needed for managing weeds. Sampling was carried out in 32 experimental field plots (four crop managements with four replicates on both crops). Crop managements consisted of GBH applications at rates of 0.84, 1.67, and 3.3 L ha−1 in plots in direct seeding with CC (DSCC) and at rates of 3.3 L ha−1 in plots without CC (DS). Weed cover rates, plant parameters (fresh and dry weights and heights), grain yields, water, and cation contents in soil were considered as indicators of interspecific competition. Results obtained in both years show that it is possible to reduce GBH use by 50% in plots with CC compared to plots without CC using a rate of GBH application of 3.33 L ha−1 (DS 3.3). However, weeds had a large impact on water content in soil, which was reflected by smaller plants and lower yields in plots with only 0.84 L ha−1 of GBH applied. In the context of the study, the use of CCs seems to facilitate the development of more sustainable agriculture while reducing the quantities of GBH generally used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Benefits and Challenges of Cover Crops in Agricultural Systems)
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