Abstract
Efficient water management is critical to sustainable crop production in arid and semi-arid southwestern United States. A study was designed to evaluate the variations in soil water content (SWC) and nitrogen (N) dynamics within the 0–100 cm soil profile and forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations in a semi-arid environment using a Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZQWM2). The cover cropping treatments were no cover crop (NCC), a mixture of grasses, brassicas, and legumes (GBL), a mixture of grasses and brassicas (GB), and a mixture of grasses and legumes (GL) under maize and sorghum silage production. The root mean square error (RMSE), index of agreement (d), and Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE) were used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the model. The observations and simulations showed that the soil water content was greater and soil temperature was lower under cover crops than under NCC. Simulated N mineralization in maize and sorghum with cover cropping was 41.1–44.2 % and 41.9–42.3 % greater than NCC. Also, the model simulated that cover crops improved the plant N uptake by 15.4–17.3 % in maize and 13.6–14.7 % in sorghum compared to NCC. Simulated aboveground biomass yields of maize and sorghum were 8.11–24.2 % and 5.68–21.3 % greater with cover crops than with NCC. Integrating cover crops in maize and sorghum silage production systems can conserve soil water and improve N uptake, increasing silage yield under semi-arid irrigated conditions in the southwestern United States.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Soil water content was greater under cover crops than under no cover crop.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e2“The observations and simulations showed that the soil water content was greater and soil temperature was lower under cover crops than under NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil temperature was lower under cover crops than under no cover crop.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e2“The observations and simulations showed that the soil water content was greater and soil temperature was lower under cover crops than under NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated N mineralization in maize was 41.1–44.2 % greater with cover cropping than with no cover crop.
- Treatment
- cover croppinge3
- Outcome
- N mineralizatione3
- Direction
- greatere3
- Value
- 41.1–44.2 %e3
- Comparator
- NCCe3
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e3“Simulated N mineralization in maize and sorghum with cover cropping was 41.1–44.2 % and 41.9–42.3 % greater than NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated N mineralization in sorghum was 41.9–42.3 % greater with cover cropping than with no cover crop.
- Treatment
- cover croppinge3
- Outcome
- N mineralizatione3
- Direction
- greatere3
- Value
- 41.9–42.3 %e3
- Comparator
- NCCe3
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e3“Simulated N mineralization in maize and sorghum with cover cropping was 41.1–44.2 % and 41.9–42.3 % greater than NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated plant N uptake in maize improved by 15.4–17.3 % with cover crops compared with no cover crop.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e4“the model simulated that cover crops improved the plant N uptake by 15.4–17.3 % in maize and 13.6–14.7 % in sorghum compared to NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated plant N uptake in sorghum improved by 13.6–14.7 % with cover crops compared with no cover crop.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e4“the model simulated that cover crops improved the plant N uptake by 15.4–17.3 % in maize and 13.6–14.7 % in sorghum compared to NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated aboveground biomass yield of maize was 8.11–24.2 % greater with cover crops than with no cover crop.
- Treatment
- cover cropse5
- Outcome
- aboveground biomass yieldse5
- Direction
- greatere5
- Value
- 8.11–24.2 %e5
- Comparator
- NCCe5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e5“Simulated aboveground biomass yields of maize and sorghum were 8.11–24.2 % and 5.68–21.3 % greater with cover crops than with NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Simulated aboveground biomass yield of sorghum was 5.68–21.3 % greater with cover crops than with no cover crop.
- Treatment
- cover cropse5
- Outcome
- aboveground biomass yieldse5
- Direction
- greatere5
- Value
- 5.68–21.3 %e5
- Comparator
- NCCe5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e5“Simulated aboveground biomass yields of maize and sorghum were 8.11–24.2 % and 5.68–21.3 % greater with cover crops than with NCC”
Claim · model-written summary
Integrating cover crops in maize and sorghum silage systems is expected to conserve soil water and increase silage yield.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“forage maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) yields in winter cover crop integrated crop rotations”
e6“Integrating cover crops in maize and sorghum silage production systems can conserve soil water and improve N uptake, increasing silage yield under semi-arid irrigated conditions”
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