/pdf/quantitative-synthesis-on-the-ecosystem-services-of-cover-4ogl4t3aqf.pdf

Quantitative synthesis on the ecosystem services of cover crops

The maintenance of soil health in agro-ecosystems is essential for sustaining agricultural productivity. Through its positive impacts on various soil physical and biological processes, cover cropping can be an important component of sustainable agricultural production systems. However, the practice of cover cropping can be complex, and possible trade-offs between the benefits and side effects of cover crops have not been examined. To evaluate these benefits and potential trade-offs, we quantitatively synthesized different ecosystem services provided by cover crops (e.g., erosion control, water quality regulation, soil moisture retention, accumulation of soil organic matter and microbial biomass, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, weed and pest control, as well as yield of the subsequent cash crop) using data from previous publications. We used a simple indicator (δ), defined as the ratio of an observed variable (i.e., ecosystem service) under cover crop and under fallow condition, to evaluate the impacts of cover crops on a given ecosystem service. Our results showed that cover crops provided beneficial ecosystem services in most cases, except for an increase in GHG emission (δCO2 = 1.46 ± 0.47 and δN2 O = 1.49 ± 1.22; x ¯  ± SD) and in pest (nematode) incidence (δnematode abundance = 1.29 ± 1.61). It is also important to highlight that, in some cases, tillage could offset the extent of ecosystem service benefits provided by cover crops. Based on this synthesis, we argue that cover crops should be incorporated into modern agricultural practices because of the many environmental benefits they offer, particularly the maintenance of soil and ecosystem health. More importantly, there was generally an increase in cash crop yield with cover cropping (δyield = 1.15 ± 0.75), likely due to improvement in various soil processes. Despite its benefits, the complexity of cover crop management should not be overlooked, and site-specific factors such as climate, soil type, cover crop species and tillage practices must be considered in order to optimize the benefits of cover cropping. In addition to crop yield, detailed economic analyses are needed to calculate the direct (e.g., reduction in the amount of chemical fertilizer) and indirect monetary benefits (e.g., the improvement of soil quality) of cover crops. Such a comprehensive analysis could serve as incentive for producers to integrate cover crops into their management practices.

This research was carried out in order to demonstrate that mulching the ground helps to conserve water, because agricultural sustainability in dryland contexts is threatened by drought, heat stress, and the injudicious use of scarce water during the cropping season by minimizing surface evaporation. Improving soil moisture conservation is an ongoing priority in crop outputs where water resources are restricted and controlled. One of the reasons for the desire to use less water in agriculture is the rising demand brought on by the world’s growing population. In this study, the use of organic or biodegradable mulches was dominated by organic materials, while inorganic mulches are mostly comprised of plastic-based components. Plastic film, crop straw, gravel, volcanic ash, rock pieces, sand, concrete, paper pellets, and livestock manures are among the materials put on the soil surface. Mulching has several essential applications, including reducing soil water loss and soil erosion, enriching soil fauna, and improving soil properties and nutrient cycling in the soil. It also reduces the pH of the soil, which improves nutrient availability. Mulching reduces soil deterioration by limiting runoff and soil loss, and it increases soil water availability by reducing evaporation, managing soil temperature, or reducing crop irrigation requirements. This review paper extensively discusses the benefits of organic or synthetic mulches for crop production, as well as the uses of mulching in soil and water conservation. As a result, it is very important for farmers to choose mulching rather than synthetic applications.

/pdf/mulching-as-a-sustainable-water-and-soil-saving-practice-in-3kdqatjq.pdf

Mulching as a Sustainable Water and Soil Saving Practice in Agriculture: A Review

Continuous cropping of the same crop leads to land degradation This is also called the continuous‐cropping obstacle Here, we investigated how long‐term continuous cropping of tobacco influences soil biochemical properties and bacterial networks in the mountain lands of China Two different fields were sampled: one with 25 years of continuous cropping tobacco and one with noncontinuous cropping tobacco Soil chemical and biological properties were measured including available phosphorus and potassium, soil organic matter, pH, alkali‐hydrolysable nitrogen, micronutrients contents, and activity of urease, catalase, invertase, and phosphatase as well as tobacco agronomic characteristics Bacterial communities of the two different soils were sequenced by metabarcoding of the 16S ribosomal RNA, and, with these data, network analysis was done Soil chemical properties and tobacco agronomical properties were negatively affected by the continuous‐cropping obstacle, and this treatment has a less complex network (less modules, nodes, and connectivity) than the soil with noncontinuous cropping treatment For continuous cropping, there were less generalists, which were key species that connect network, than noncontinuous cropping Moreover, the taxonomic composition of bacterial network was different in the two different treatments In the continuous‐cropping network, 40% nodes had negative interactions, suggesting that more competition or antagonism existed among bacterial species It concluded that continuous cropping has a detrimental effect on soil chemical and that the bacterial network properties under continuous cropping are more sensitive to soil variables (so more unstable and inefficient) because there are less bacterial species that interact each other and this is due to limited nutrients or excessive toxic nutrient

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ldr.3167

Continuous‐cropping tobacco caused variance of chemical properties and structure of bacterial network in soils

Comparison of plastic film, biodegradable paper and bio-based film mulching for summer tomato production: Soil properties, plant growth, fruit yield and fruit quality

Nitrogen nutrient management is crucially important in shallow-rooted vegetable production systems characterized by high input and high environmental risk. To investigate the effects of summer catch crop (sweet corn, common bean, garland chrysanthemum and edible amaranth), residue management, and soil temperature and water on the succeeding cucumber rhizosphere nitrogen mineralization in intensive production systems, we determined the rates of net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in a 4-year field experiment on greenhouse cucumber double-cropping systems. Summer catch crop and its residue significantly increased the succeeding cucumber rhizosphere mineral nitrogen contents, when compared to conventional practices. In general, summer catch crop and its residue significantly increased the rates of both net nitrogen mineralization and net nitrogen nitrification at 4 or 40°C, and increased the rates of net nitrogen immobilization (negative mineralization) and net nitrogen nitrification at 15 or 28°C, in succeeding cucumber rhizosphere after four-year treatment. Soil temperature and water had more influence than catch crops and residue management on N mineralization. The effect of carbon on nitrogen mineralization was more pronounced than that of nitrogen, and the effect of microbial carbon on the different forms of inorganic N was more pronounced than that of organic carbon. When the effects of soil temperature and water content were eliminated, cumulative net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in catch crop and residue management plots were 296–784 and 57–84% higher, respectively, than conventional practices plots. Catch crops and residue management influenced change of ammonium-N more significantly than that of nitrate-N. Additionally, there were complex relationships between fruit yield and soil N mineralization in catch crop- and residue management-induced systems.

Effects of summer catch crop, residue management, soil temperature and water on the succeeding cucumber rhizosphere nitrogen mineralization in intensive production systems

A 3-year pot experiment with 8-year continuously cropped greenhouse cucumber soil was conducted to study the effects of different cultivation systems on the soil quality, soil nematode quantity, and crop yields. The third year' s data were taken into analysis. Comparing with traditional cultivation system (two seasons planting cucumber with fallowing in summer) , planting leafy vegetable and garlic in summer increased the yields of the two crops and the soil microbial biomass carbon content, total microbial population, and sucrase activity, decreased the amounts of soil nematode and root-knot nematode, and maintained a relative high Shannon-Weaver index. Planting crown daisy, garlic, and spinach in summer increased soil sucrase activity by 8.9%, 89.5%, and 36.9%, and the planting of crown daisy and garlic also increased the Shannon-Weaver index by 7.7% and 9.4%, respectively. All the results suggested that catching crop and rotation had definite restoration effects on the soil quality under continuously cropping of cucumber, and the effects of planting crown daisy and garlic were more significant.

Changes of soil biological characters beneath greenhouse cucumber under different cultivation systems

Microbial properties of rhizosphere soils as affected by rotation, grafting, and soil sterilization in intensive vegetable production systems

Yield increases of cucumber following cover crops in a rotation system have been previously reported for intensive Chinese agricultural production. However, little information is available as to how this system affects soil microbial properties and nematodes. A 4-year field experiment on a greenhouse cucumber double-cropping system was conducted to investigate the effects of four different summer cover crops on cucumber yield, soil nutrients, microbial properties and nematodes. After 4 years, six cover crop and residue management rotational cropping systems that included sweet corn residue removed (SR), sweet corn residue incorporated (SI), and garland chrysanthemum and edible amaranth (GR) significantly (P < 0.05) increased cucumber fruit yields summed for the years 2005–2008 by 22%, 32% and 26%, compared to the control (CONTROL), while cropping systems that included common bean residue removed (CR) and common bean residue incorporated (CI) significantly (P < 0.05) decreased yields by 30% and 22%, respectively. Plant available N losses and P, K accumulation in soil were efficiently reduced by planting cover crops. Soil microbial biomass, population and diversity were higher under summer cover crop-related treatments than under the control. The dominant plant-parasitic nematodes found in our experiment field were Meloidogyne sp. and Helicotylenchus sp, which were all parasites of both common bean and cucumber. A strong relationship between cucumber yields and the non-plant-parasitic: plant-parasitic nematode ratio (NPR) (r = 0.703, p < 0.001) was found in the break-host systems (SR, SI and GR). These results suggested that on the nutrient rich soils of our study, cucumber yield increases for the SR, SI and GR treatments, compared with the control, could be explained by higher microbial biomass, population and diversity and NPR.

Effects of summer cover crop and residue management on cucumber growth in intensive Chinese production systems: soil nutrients, microbial properties and nematodes

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Effects of summer catch crop, residue management, soil temperature and water on the succeeding cucumber rhizosphere nitrogen mineralization in intensive production systems

Changes of soil biological characters beneath greenhouse cucumber under different cultivation systems

Microbial properties of rhizosphere soils as affected by rotation, grafting, and soil sterilization in intensive vegetable production systems

Effects of summer cover crop and residue management on cucumber growth in intensive Chinese production systems: soil nutrients, microbial properties and nematodes