Abstract
Introducing cover crops (CC) and increasing crop diversity in agricultural systems are beneficial in improving the soil health and crop production. However, limited research has been conducted that focuses the influence of CC and crop rotation on soil ecosystem, root growth and development, crop production, and economic returns. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess the impacts of CC management on soil enzyme activities and soil microbial community structure changes, (ii) evaluate the crop rotation management on crop root growth and development, nutrient storage in crop grain and biomass, and crop yield, and (iii) investigate the crop rotation management effect on production input cost and economic return. The study 1 included that soils data collected at 0-5 cm depth from CC with different durations (3 to 20 years) at five locations in the Midwestern, US. Data showed that including CC into cropping system has the potential to alter soil enzyme activates and the richness of soil microbial community, and this effect varied with the duration of CC. Data from this study showed that long-term (20-year) winter rye CC increased waterextractable C and N content, B-glucosidase, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and fluorescein diacetate activities, and soil bacterial community abundance than the NCC treatment. However, no significant differences were found between short-term (3-6 years) winter rye, legume, and brassica mixture and NCC treatment regrading to the abundance of soil microbial community. There was an increment in B-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, FDA, and total phospholipid fatty acid concentration under short-term (3-year) legume and grass CC mixture than that under NCC treatment. The study 2 included the data on crop root distribution and nutrient storage in crop grain and biomass under a long-term no-till diverse crop rotations located at the Eastern South Dakota Soil and Water Research Farm near Brookings, SD. The results of this objective from 2017 and 2018 showed that the diverse crop rotations [corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]-spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-pea (Pisum sativum L.) (CSSwP), corn-pea-winter wheat-soybean (CPWwS), corn-oat (Avena sativa L.)-winter wheat-soybean (COWwS), corn-soybean-spring wheat-sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) (CSSwSf)] had significant effects on corn root distribution and corn yield as compared with the 2-year corn-soybean (CS) rotation. Compared with other rotations, lower corn root biomass, corn root length density at the first two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm), and total root length density at anthesis were recorded in CSSwP rotation but it led to greater corn yield. The CS rotation had lower corn and soybean yields than the other diverse crop rotations, although the differences were not always significant. There was no evidence that crop rotation influenced the crop grain nutrient storage, but a slight difference was shown in the crop biomass. The study 3 included the data on crop yield, production input cost, and economic return from the same location as the study 2. The data collected for 2013 through 2016 showed that diverse crop rotations (CSSwP, CPWwS and COWwS) provided more benefits in crop production and economic return than the CS rotation. Specifically, CS rotation required greater total input cost than the diverse crop rotations. No significant increase in corn yield was detected in diverse crop rotations compared with the CS rotation, while there was a significant reduction in soybean yield under CS rotation than the diverse crop rotations. The gross revenue and net revenue results suggested that CS rotation was less resiliency than the diverse crop rotations when the nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rate was less than that required for the maximum yield, this result was more obvious when compared with the CSSwP rotation. These findings suggested that, in general, use of long-term CC and extending the traditional CS rotation to more diversified such as CSSwP rotation could be more beneficial and sustainable systems in Northern Great Plains, USA.
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Claims 20
Claim · model-written summary
Including cover crops in the cropping system may alter soil enzyme activities and the richness of the soil microbial community, depending on the duration of the cover crop.
Verbatim
e0“Introducing cover crops (CC) and increasing crop diversity in agricultural systems are beneficial in improving the soil health and crop production”
e1“Data showed that including CC into cropping system has the potential to alter soil enzyme activates and the richness of soil microbial community, and this effect varied with the duration of CC”
Claim · model-written summary
Long-term (20-year) winter rye cover crop increased water-extractable C and N content, B-glucosidase and urease relative to no cover crop.
- Taxon
- winter rye
Secale cerealee1 - Treatment
- long-term (20-year) winter rye CCe1
- Outcome
- waterextractable C and N content, B-glucosidase, ureasee1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Comparator
- NCC treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Data from this study showed that long-term (20-year) winter rye CC increased waterextractable C and N content, B-glucosidase, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and fluorescein diacetate activities, and soil bacterial community abundance than the NCC treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Long-term (20-year) winter rye cover crop increased acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and arylsulfatase activities relative to no cover crop.
- Taxon
- winter ryeSecale cerealee1
- Treatment
- long-term (20-year) winter rye CCe1
- Outcome
- acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatasee1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Comparator
- NCC treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Data from this study showed that long-term (20-year) winter rye CC increased waterextractable C and N content, B-glucosidase, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and fluorescein diacetate activities, and soil bacterial community abundance than the NCC treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Long-term (20-year) winter rye cover crop increased fluorescein diacetate activity and soil bacterial community abundance relative to no cover crop.
- Taxon
- winter ryeSecale cerealee1
- Treatment
- long-term (20-year) winter rye CCe1
- Outcome
- fluorescein diacetate activities, and soil bacterial community abundancee1
- Direction
- increasede1
- Comparator
- NCC treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Data from this study showed that long-term (20-year) winter rye CC increased waterextractable C and N content, B-glucosidase, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and fluorescein diacetate activities, and soil bacterial community abundance than the NCC treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Short-term winter rye, legume and brassica mixtures did not differ from no cover crop in soil microbial community abundance.
- Taxon
- winter ryeSecale cerealee1
- Treatment
- short-term (3-6 years) winter rye, legume, and brassica mixturee1
- Outcome
- abundance of soil microbial communitye1
- Direction
- no significant differencese1
- Comparator
- NCC treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“However, no significant differences were found between short-term (3-6 years) winter rye, legume, and brassica mixture and NCC treatment regrading to the abundance of soil microbial community”
Claim · model-written summary
Short-term (3-year) legume and grass cover crop mixture increased B-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase activities relative to no cover crop.
Verbatim
e1“There was an increment in B-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, FDA, and total phospholipid fatty acid concentration under short-term (3-year) legume and grass CC mixture than that under NCC treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Short-term (3-year) legume and grass cover crop mixture increased arylsulfatase, FDA and total phospholipid fatty acid concentration relative to no cover crop.
Verbatim
e1“There was an increment in B-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, FDA, and total phospholipid fatty acid concentration under short-term (3-year) legume and grass CC mixture than that under NCC treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Diverse crop rotations had significant effects on corn root distribution and corn yield compared with the 2-year corn-soybean rotation.
- Taxon
- corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse1 - Treatment
- diverse crop rotationse0
- Outcome
- corn root distribution and corn yielde1
- Comparator
- 2-year corn-soybean (CS) rotatione1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“showed that the diverse crop rotations”
e1“had significant effects on corn root distribution and corn yield as compared with the 2-year corn-soybean (CS) rotation”
Claim · model-written summary
The CSSwP rotation had lower corn root biomass, corn root length density and total root length density at anthesis than other rotations.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- CSSwP rotatione1
- Outcome
- corn root biomass, corn root length density at the first two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm), and total root length density at anthesise1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Comparator
- other rotationse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Compared with other rotations, lower corn root biomass, corn root length density at the first two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm), and total root length density at anthesis were recorded in CSSwP rotation but it led to greater corn yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The CSSwP rotation gave greater corn yield than other rotations.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- CSSwP rotatione1
- Outcome
- corn yielde1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Comparator
- other rotationse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Compared with other rotations, lower corn root biomass, corn root length density at the first two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm), and total root length density at anthesis were recorded in CSSwP rotation but it led to greater corn yield”
Claim · model-written summary
The CS rotation had lower corn yield than the other diverse crop rotations.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- CS rotatione1
- Outcome
- yieldse1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Comparator
- the other diverse crop rotationse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The CS rotation had lower corn and soybean yields than the other diverse crop rotations, although the differences were not always significant”
Claim · model-written summary
The CS rotation had lower soybean yield than the other diverse crop rotations.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe1 - Treatment
- CS rotatione1
- Outcome
- yieldse1
- Direction
- lowere1
- Comparator
- the other diverse crop rotationse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The CS rotation had lower corn and soybean yields than the other diverse crop rotations, although the differences were not always significant”
Claim · model-written summary
Crop rotation showed no evidence of influencing crop grain nutrient storage.
- Taxon
- crope1
- Treatment
- crop rotatione1
- Outcome
- crop grain nutrient storagee1
- Direction
- no evidence that crop rotation influencede1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“There was no evidence that crop rotation influenced the crop grain nutrient storage, but a slight difference was shown in the crop biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
Crop rotation produced a slight difference in crop biomass.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e1“There was no evidence that crop rotation influenced the crop grain nutrient storage, but a slight difference was shown in the crop biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
Diverse crop rotations provided more benefits in crop production and economic return than the CS rotation.
Verbatim
e1“The data collected for 2013 through 2016 showed that diverse crop rotations (CSSwP, CPWwS and COWwS) provided more benefits in crop production and economic return than the CS rotation”
Claim · model-written summary
The CS rotation required greater total input cost than the diverse crop rotations.
Verbatim
e1“Specifically, CS rotation required greater total input cost than the diverse crop rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
Diverse crop rotations did not significantly increase corn yield compared with the CS rotation.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse1
- Treatment
- diverse crop rotationse1
- Outcome
- corn yielde1
- Direction
- No significant increasee1
- Comparator
- the CS rotatione1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“No significant increase in corn yield was detected in diverse crop rotations compared with the CS rotation”
Claim · model-written summary
The CS rotation significantly reduced soybean yield compared with the diverse crop rotations.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe1
- Treatment
- CS rotatione1
- Outcome
- soybean yielde1
- Direction
- significant reductione1
- Comparator
- the diverse crop rotationse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“while there was a significant reduction in soybean yield under CS rotation than the diverse crop rotations”
Claim · model-written summary
The CS rotation was less resilient than diverse crop rotations in gross and net revenue when nitrogen fertilizer was applied below the rate needed for maximum yield.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse2
- Treatment
- nitrogen (N) fertilizer application ratee1
- Outcome
- gross revenue and net revenuee1
- Direction
- less resiliencye1
- Qualifier
- this result was more obvious when compared with the CSSwP rotatione1
- Comparator
- the diverse crop rotationse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The gross revenue and net revenue results suggested that CS rotation was less resiliency than the diverse crop rotations when the nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rate was less than that required for the maximum yield, this result was more obvious when compared with the CSSwP rotation”
e2“No significant increase in corn yield was detected in diverse crop rotations compared with the CS rotation”
Claim · model-written summary
Long-term cover crops and extending the CS rotation to a more diversified CSSwP rotation could be more beneficial and sustainable in the Northern Great Plains.
Verbatim
e0“Introducing cover crops (CC) and increasing crop diversity in agricultural systems are beneficial in improving the soil health and crop production”
e1“These findings suggested that, in general, use of long-term CC and extending the traditional CS rotation to more diversified such as CSSwP rotation could be more beneficial and sustainable systems in Northern Great Plains, USA”
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- positive
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253 papers in the same direction as this paper · 52 in the opposite direction · 16 reporting no difference from an alternative
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See all 322 papers →cover crop · soil: biology · Secale cereale (rye)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
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cover crop · nutrient: content · Secale cereale (rye)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.