Cover crops and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil carbon and nitrogen and tomato yield

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. M. Sainju ◽  
B. P. Singh ◽  
W. F. Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Crimson Clover ◽  
Tomato Yield ◽  
C And N

Cover crops can influence soil properties and crop yield. We examined the influence of legume [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)] and nonlegume [rye (Secale cereale L.)] cover crops and N fertilization (0, 90, and 180 kg N ha−1) on the short- and long-term effects on soil C and N and tomato yield and N uptake. We measured organic C and N (long-term effects), potential C and N mineralization (PCM and PNM) and inorganic N (short-term effects) periodically on a Greenville fine sandy loam (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic, Rhodic Kandiudults) planted with tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill) from April to August in 1996 and 1997 in Georgia USA. Soil C and N concentrations increased early in the growing season with cover crop residue incorporation, but decreased as the residue decomposed. Rye increased organic N and maintained greater levels of organic C and PCM after 3 yr than other treatments. In contrast, hairy vetch and crimson clover increased PNM and inorganic N soon after residue incorporation into the soil and produced tomato yield and N uptake similar to that produced by 90 and 180 kg N ha–1. Nitrogen fertilization increased PNM and inorganic N after split application and tomato yield and N uptake but decreased organic C and N and PCM compared with rye. Compared with 0 kg N ha–1, nonlegume cover crops, such as rye can increase organic C and N and PCM but legume cover crops, such as hairy vetch and crimson clover, can enrich soil N and produce tomato yield and N uptake similar to that produced by 90 and 180 kg N ha−1. Key words: Cover crops, nitrogen fertilization, soil carbon, soil nitrogen, tomato yield

scholarly journals Fresh Market Tomato Yield and Soil Nitrogen as Affected by Tillage, Cover Cropping, and Nitrogen Fertilization

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1258-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidat Yaffa ◽  
Bharat P. Singh ◽  
Upendra M. Sainju ◽  
K.C. Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Tomato Yield ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
Soil Inorganic

Sustainable practices are needed in vegetable production to maintain yield and to reduce the potential for soil erosion and N leaching. We examined the effects of tillage [no-till (NT), chisel plowing (CP), and moldboard plowing (MP)], cover cropping [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) vs. winter weeds], N fertilization (0, 90, and 180 kg·ha-1 N), and date of sampling on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) yield, N uptake, and soil inorganic N in a Norfolk sandy loam in Fort Valley, Ga. for 2 years. Yield was greater with CP and MP than with NT in 1996 and was greater with 90 and 180 than with 0 kg·ha-1 N in 1996 and 1997. Similarly, aboveground tomato biomass (dry weight of stems + leaves + fruits) and N uptake were greater with CP and MP than with NT from 40 to 118 days after transplanting (DAT) in 1996; greater with hairy vetch than with winter weeds at 82 DAT in 1997; and greater with 90 or 180 than with 0 kg·ha-1 N at 97 DAT in 1996 and at 82 DAT in 1997. Soil inorganic N was greater with NT or CP than with MP at 0- to 10-cm depth at 0 and 30 DAT in 1996; greater with hairy vetch than with winter weeds at 0- to 10-cm and at 10- to 30-cm at 0 DAT in 1996 and 1997, respectively; and greater with 90 or 180 than with 0 kg·ha-1 N from 30 to 116 DAT in 1996 and 1997. Levels of soil inorganic N and tomato N uptake indicated that N release from cover crop residues was synchronized with N need by tomato, and that N fertilization should be done within 8 weeks of transplanting. Similar tomato yield, biomass, and N uptake with CP vs. MP and with 90 vs. 180 kg·ha-1 N suggests that minimum tillage, such as CP, and 90 kg·ha-1 N can better sustain tomato yield and reduce potentials for soil erosion and N leaching than can conventional tillage, such as MP, and 180 kg·ha-1 N, respectively. Because of increased vegetative cover in the winter, followed by increased mulch and soil N in the summer, hairy vetch can reduce the potential for soil erosion and the amount of N fertilization required for tomato better than can winter weeds.

Cover crops and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil aggregation and carbon and nitrogen pools

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. M. Sainju ◽  
W. F. Whitehead ◽  
B. P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Size Class ◽  
Soil Aggregation ◽  
Total N ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
C And N

Cover crops and N fertilization rates may influence soil aggregation and associated C and N pools, thereby affecting soil quality and productivity. We compared the effects of legume [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)] and nonlegume [rye (Secale cereale L.)] cover crops and N fertilization rates {half N rate [HN: 90 kg N ha-1 yr-1 for 3 yr of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) followed by 80 kg N ha-1 yr-1 for eggplant (Solanum melogena L.)]} and full N rate [FN: 180 kg N ha-1 yr-1 for 3 yr of tomato followed by 160 kg N ha-1 yr-1 for eggplant]} on soil aggregation and C and N pools in whole-soil and aggregates. The pools were organic C, total N, potential C mineralization and potential N mineralization (PCM and PNM), microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N (MBC and MBN), and particulate organic C and particulate organic N (POC and PON). Field experiment was conducted in a Greenville fine sandy loam (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic, Rhodic Kandiudults) from 1995 to 2000 in Fort Valley, Georgia, USA. While the amount of soil present in aggregates decreased with decreasing size class, the amount was greater with nonlegume and FN than with HN and legume cover crops in the 2.00- to 0.85-mm size class. Organic C, PCM, and MBC contents in whole-soil were greater with nonlegume, but MBN and PON were greater with legumes than in the control with no cover crop or N fertilization. Organic C and total N concentrations in aggregates were greater in 2.00- to 0.50-mm than in 4.75- to 2.00-mm, <0.25-mm, or <4.75-mm (whole-soil) size classes, but PNM and MBN were greater in <0.50- or <4.75-mm than in 4.75- to 2.00-mm size classes. As POC and PON decreased with decreasing aggregate-size class, POC in the <0.85-mm size class was greater with nonlegume and PON in the 2.00- to 0.85-mm size classes was greater with legumes than with the control and N rates. Nonlegume may increase soil aggregation, microbial activities, and C sequestration, but legumes may increase N mineralization in the soil compared with no cover crop. Nitrogen fertilization also may improve soil aggregation. Nitrogen mineralization and C and N sequestration may be greater in aggregates <2.00 mm diameter. Cover crops and N fertilization may improve soil quality and productivity, particularly in intermediate and small size (<2.00 mm) aggregates. Key words: Cover crop, nitrogen fertilization, soil aggregation, soil carbon, soil nitrogen

scholarly journals Yield and Nitrogen Concentration of Tomato following Winter Cover Crops

HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 669c-669
Author(s):  
Bharat P. Singh ◽  
Upendra M. Sanju ◽  
Wayne F. Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Tomato Fruit ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Tomato Crop ◽  
Total N ◽  
Crimson Clover ◽  
N Concentration ◽  
Winter Cover ◽  
Winter Cover Crops

Our objective was to determine the effect of winter cover crops on the yield and N concentration of the following crop of tomato. No commercial fertilizer was applied to the tomato crop. Cover crops were planted in fall in a randomized complete-block design with control (fallow), rye, hairy vetch, and crimson clover treatments. `Mountain Pride' tomato was planted in spring after incorporating cover crops into the soil. Soil inorganic N content during the tomato growing season was significantly affected by the nature of cover crops planted during winter. Tomato planted after legumes had significantly greater amounts of inorganic N available for uptake compared to nonlegume or control. A rye cover crop did not have any effect on the yield of the ensuing tomato crop. On the contrary, a 15% increase in tomato fruit yields resulted from cover cropping with legumes. The N concentration in fruit in all treatments was similar. However, tomato grown after rye had significantly lower vegetative N concentration. Total N uptake was significantly greater in tomato succeeding legumes compared to nonlegume or fallow. It was concluded that by adding inorganic N into the soil, legumes increased the fruit yield and N uptake of the succeeding tomato crop.

Nitrogen release from shoots and roots of crimson clover, hairy vetch, and red clover

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-188
Author(s):  
X.M. Yang ◽  
C.F. Drury ◽  
W.D. Reynolds ◽  
L.A. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Half Life ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Total N ◽  
Crimson Clover ◽  
N Release ◽  
Legume Cover Crops

Nitrogen (N) release from legume cover crops is a key N source for subsequent crops in rotation. In this study, chopped fresh shoots or roots (<5 mm) of crimson clover (CC), hairy vetch (HV), and red clover (RC) were incorporated into a 50:50 mixture of air-dried sandy loam soil (<2 mm) and washed builders sand at a rate of 300 mg N kg−1. The mixtures were packed in leaching tubes (four replicates), leached with 100 mL of 5 mmol L−1 CaCl2, and then incubated for 10 wk (22 °C, 0.33 bar matric potential) with weekly leaching. Total N and inorganic N (NH4+ plus NO3−) in leachate were quantified and organic N was determined as the difference between total N and inorganic N. More N was released from shoots (63.4%–70.0% of initial N) than from roots (27.3%–50.7% of initial N). Mineralized organic N and inorganic N followed the first order, single N-pool mineralization model [Nt = N0(1 – e−kt); R2 = 0.94−0.99]. Potentially mineralizable N (N0, as % of initial N) was similar for shoots (CC = 75.1%, HV = 74.2%, and RC = 71.3%), but varied for roots (CC = 36.2%, HV = 52.6%, and RC = 53.0%). The N0 pool in shoots had a half-life (t1/2 = ln 2/k) of 11.0, 9.8, and 15.1 d for CC, HV, and RC, respectively; and a half-life in roots of 23.9, 8.5, and 25.7 d, respectively. Hence, HV released its stored N in both roots and shoots faster than CC and RC. The results in this study would help farmers optimize their choice in legume cover crops and termination times to better synchronize N release with crop uptake.

scholarly journals Evaluating Hairy Vetch Residue as Nitrogen Fertilizer for Tomato in Soilless Medium

HortScience ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Upendra M. Sainju ◽  
Syed Rahman ◽  
Bharat P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Root Length ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Fruit Number ◽  
Tomato Yield ◽  
Total Dry Weight ◽  
Stem Leaf

The ability of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) residue (100 g/plant) to supply N and to increase yields of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was compared with that of N fertilization (0, 4.1, and 8.2 g/plant N) in a medium containing a mixture of 3 perlite: 1 vermiculite in a greenhouse and a lathhouse. Hairy vetch residue did not interact with N fertilization in affecting tomato yield and medium N concentration. In the greenhouse, leaf dry weight, leaf and stem N uptake, total (fruit + stem + leaf + root) dry weight and N uptake of tomato, and NH4+ and inorganic N concentrations in the medium at transplanting were significantly greater with than without residue. In the lathhouse, fruit number, fresh and dry yields and N uptake, leaf, stem, and root dry weights and N uptake, root length, total dry weight and N uptake of tomato, and NH4+, NO3-, and inorganic N concentrations in the medium at transplanting, and inorganic N at harvest were greater with than without residue. Nitrogen fertilization increased fruit number, fresh and dry yields and N uptake, stem, leaf, and root dry weights and N uptake, root length, and total dry weight and N uptake. The residue was as effective in increasing fresh fruit yield, total dry weight, and N uptake as was 4.4 to 7.9 g/plant of N fertilizer. Tomato yield and N uptake per unit amount of N supplied was greater for the residue than for N fertilization, suggesting that hairy vetch residue can be effectively used as N fertilizer for tomato production.

Influence of legume cover crops and conservation tillage on soil populations of selected fungal genera

1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Rothrock ◽  
W. L. Hargrove
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Fusarium Spp ◽  
Crimson Clover ◽  
Legume Cover Crops ◽  
Legume Cover Crop

The influence of winter legume cover crops and of tillage on soil populations of fungal genera containing plant pathogenic species in the subsequent summer sorghum crop were examined in field studies. Legume cover crops significantly increased populations of Pythium spp. throughout the sorghum crop compared with a rye cover crop or no cover crop. This stimulation of the populations of Pythium spp. was not solely due to colonization of cover-crop residue, as populations were significantly greater at the time the legume cover crop was desiccated. Removal of aboveground residue generally decreased populations of Pythium spp. in soil. Incorporation of residue by tillage increased populations of Pythium spp. at some sampling dates. Legumes differed in the magnitude of stimulation, with hairy vetch stimulating Pythium spp. more than crimson clover. Cover crop treatments did not consistently influence soil populations of Fusarium spp., Rhizoctonia solani, Rhizoctonia-like binucleate fungi, or Macrophomina phaseolina. Macrophomina phaseolina populations were significantly greater under no tillage.

scholarly journals Carryover of Common Corn and Soybean Herbicides to Various Cover Crop Species

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody D. Cornelius ◽  
Kevin W. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Italian Ryegrass ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Cereal Rye ◽  
Crimson Clover ◽  
Crop Establishment ◽  
Biomass Reduction

The recent interest in cover crops as component of Midwest corn and soybean production systems has led to the need for additional research, including the effects of residual corn and soybean herbicide treatments on fall cover crop establishment. Field studies were conducted in 2013, 2014, and 2015 in Columbia, Missouri to investigate the effects of common residual herbicides applied in corn and soybean on establishment of winter wheat, tillage radish, cereal rye, crimson clover, winter oat, Austrian winter pea, Italian ryegrass, and hairy vetch. Cover crops were evaluated for stand and biomass reduction 28 d after emergence (DAE). Rainfall from herbicide application to cover crop seeding date was much greater in 2014 and 2015, which resulted in less carryover in these years compared to 2013. When averaged across all herbicides evaluated in these experiments, the general order of sensitivity of cover crops to herbicide carryover, from greatest to least was Austrian winter pea=crimson clover>oilseed radish>Italian ryegrass>hairy vetch>wheat >winter oat>cereal rye. Cereal rye had the fewest instances of biomass or stand reduction with only four out of the 27 herbicides adversely effecting establishment. Pyroxasulfone consistently reduced Italian ryegrass and winter oat biomass at least 67% in both the corn and soybean experiments. In the soybean experiment, imazethapyr- and fomesafen-containing products resulted in severe stand and biomass reduction in both years while flumetsulam-containing products resulted in the greatest carryover symptoms in the corn experiment. Results from these experiments suggest that several commonly used corn and soybean herbicides have the potential to hinder cover crop establishment, but the severity of damage will depend on weather, cover crop species, and the specific herbicide combination.

Herbicide selection to terminate grass, legume, and brassica cover crop species

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
Kara B. Pittman ◽  
Charles W. Cahoon ◽  
Kevin W. Bamber ◽  
Lucas S. Rector ◽  
Michael L. Flessner
Keyword(s):  
Active Ingredient ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Rating Data ◽  
Crimson Clover ◽  
And Control

AbstractCover crops provide a number of agronomic benefits, including weed suppression, which is important as cases of herbicide resistance continue to rise. To effectively suppress weeds, high cover crop biomass is needed, which necessitates later termination timing. Cover crop termination is important to mitigate potential planting issues and prevent surviving cover crop competition with cash crops. Field studies were conducted in Virginia to determine the most effective herbicide options alone or combined with glyphosate or paraquat to terminate a range of cover crop species. Results revealed that grass cover crop species were controlled (94% to 98%) by glyphosate alone 4 wk after application (WAA). Overall, legume species varied in response to the single active-ingredient treatments, and control increased with the addition of glyphosate or paraquat. Mixes with glyphosate provided better control of crimson clover and hairy vetch by 7% to 8% compared with mixes containing paraquat 4 WAA. Mix partner did not influence control of Austrian winter pea. No treatment adequately controlled rapeseed in this study, with a maximum of 58% control observed with single active-ingredient treatments and 62% control with mixes. Height reduction for all cover crop species supports visible rating data. Rapeseed should be terminated when smaller, which could negate weed suppressive benefits from this cover crop species. Growers should consider herbicide selection and termination timing in their cover crop plan to ensure effective termination.

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