Impacts of Cover Crop Management Strategies on Soil Health

Dear Colleagues,

Globally, there is renewed interest in integrating cover crops into agricultural production fields to restore the soil health of degraded soils and improve crop yields. Conceptually, cover crops offer several ecosystem services, including weed control, nutrient cycling, and soil health improvement (increased soil organic matter, decreased wind erosion potential, alleviation of soil compaction, enhanced soil structure, as well as increased microbial activity). However, cover crops are grown and managed differently to address specific resource concerns. Therefore, the ability of cover crops to impact soil health will depend on several production factors, including intended cover crop use, species, cropping system, and growing environment. For this Special Issue, we seek papers that report effects of cover crop management practices on the biological, chemical, and physical attributes of soil health, with particular emphasis on systems approaches and recent advances in soil health measurements. Special consideration will be given to submissions on: (1) long-term cover crop management on soil health; (2) dual-purpose use of cover crops in integrated crop–livestock systems; (3) cover crops in semiarid environments; (4) combinations of cover crop management practices to improve soils (regenerative agriculture); and (5) novel techniques for assessing soil health.

Dr. Augustine K. Obour
Guest Editor

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