Abstract
Abstract Cover crop integration in agriculture rotation is associated to multiple agronomic and environmental benefits. However, the effect of cover crop identity on the following cash crop productivity and nutrient uptake is still uncertain, particularly in relation to soil types. We set up an experiment to test the effects of four different cover crop species (Indian mustard, lupine, field pea, and oat) on maize above- and belowground biomass as well as on nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition after incorporation of the cover crop litter in two soil types (clay and sandy soil). We observed that aboveground and belowground biomass of maize was always higher in sandy than clay soil likely due to better soil physical properties. On general, in clay soil, the presence of a preceding cover crop promoted or did not modify the aboveground and the belowground maize productivity compared to bare soil. On the other hand, in sandy soil, the decomposing litter of non-leguminous cover crops decreased maize aboveground productivity whereas any preceding cover crop decreased maize root biomass. The burial of leguminous litter significantly increased the N uptake by maize in both soil types. For what concerns the phosphorus uptake by maize, it appears that due to high phosphorus soil availability, the selected cover crops did not play a major role in improving P uptake, with the only exception of field pea. Our data show that leguminous cover crops improved the N status of maize particularly under conditions of low N fertilization rates.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Maize aboveground biomass was higher in sandy than clay soil.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“aboveground and belowground biomass of maize was always higher in sandy than clay soil likely due to better soil physical properties.”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize belowground biomass was higher in sandy than clay soil.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“aboveground and belowground biomass of maize was always higher in sandy than clay soil likely due to better soil physical properties.”
Claim · model-written summary
In clay soil, preceding cover crops increased or did not change maize aboveground productivity relative to bare soil.
- Treatment
- preceding cover crope0
- Outcome
- abovegrounde0
- Direction
- promoted or did not modifye0
- Comparator
- bare soile0
- Setting
- clay soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in clay soil, the presence of a preceding cover crop promoted or did not modify the aboveground and the belowground maize productivity compared to bare soil.”
Claim · model-written summary
In clay soil, preceding cover crops increased or did not change maize belowground productivity relative to bare soil.
- Treatment
- preceding cover crope0
- Outcome
- belowground maize productivitye0
- Direction
- promoted or did not modifye0
- Comparator
- bare soile0
- Setting
- clay soile0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in clay soil, the presence of a preceding cover crop promoted or did not modify the aboveground and the belowground maize productivity compared to bare soil.”
Claim · model-written summary
In sandy soil, non-leguminous cover crop litter decreased maize aboveground productivity.
- Treatment
- decomposing litter of non-leguminous cover cropse0
- Outcome
- maize aboveground productivitye0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Setting
- sandy soile0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in sandy soil, the decomposing litter of non-leguminous cover crops decreased maize aboveground productivity”
Claim · model-written summary
In sandy soil, any preceding cover crop decreased maize root biomass.
- Organ / stage
- roote0
- Treatment
- any preceding cover crope0
- Outcome
- maize root biomasse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Setting
- sandy soile0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in sandy soil, the decomposing litter of non-leguminous cover crops decreased maize aboveground productivity whereas any preceding cover crop decreased maize root biomass.”
Claim · model-written summary
Leguminous litter increased maize nitrogen uptake in both soil types.
- Treatment
- burial of leguminous littere0
- Outcome
- N uptake by maizee0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- both soil typese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The burial of leguminous litter significantly increased the N uptake by maize in both soil types.”
Claim · model-written summary
Most selected cover crops did not substantially improve maize phosphorus uptake under high soil phosphorus availability.
- Treatment
- selected cover cropse0
- Outcome
- P uptakee0
- Direction
- did not play a major role in improvinge0
- Qualifier
- high phosphorus soil availabilitye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“due to high phosphorus soil availability, the selected cover crops did not play a major role in improving P uptake, with the only exception of field pea.”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Field pea was the exception among cover crops for improving maize phosphorus uptake.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the selected cover crops did not play a major role in improving P uptake, with the only exception of field pea.”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Leguminous cover crops improved maize nitrogen status especially at low nitrogen fertilization rates.
- Treatment
- leguminous cover cropse0
- Outcome
- N status of maizee0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Qualifier
- low N fertilization ratese0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“leguminous cover crops improved the N status of maize particularly under conditions of low N fertilization rates.”
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