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Reduced Potential for Nitrogen Loss in Cover Crop-Soybean Relay Systems in a Cold Climate
Journal of Environmental Quality
|June 11, 2019
Summary
New oilseed cash cover crops like pennycress and winter camelina effectively sequester soil nutrients, reducing nitrogen loss in the Upper Midwest. These crops offer both environmental benefits and potential economic incentives for growers.
Area of Science:
- Agronomy and Soil Science
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Nutrient Management
Background:
- Winter cover crops can mitigate nutrient leaching in the Upper Midwest.
- Oilseed cash cover crops, such as winter camelina and pennycress, present potential economic incentives.
- The capacity of these novel cover crops to sequester labile soil nutrients requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the nutrient sequestration abilities of winter camelina and pennycress.
- To compare nutrient uptake by various cover crops against fallow treatments.
- To assess the impact of cover crops on soil and soil water nutrient levels within a crop rotation.
Main Methods:
- Measured nitrogen (N) in shoot biomass, plant-available N and P in soil.
- Analyzed soil water nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) using lysimeters at 30, 60, and 100 cm depths.
- Compared five no-till cover crop treatments (forage radish, winter rye, field pennycress, winter camelina) with two fallow treatments (chisel till, no-till) in a spring wheat-soybean rotation.
Main Results:
- Winter rye and radish showed high autumn N sequestration (26–38 kg N ha−1).
- Overwintering oilseeds (pennycress, camelina) matched or exceeded N uptake in spring (28–49 kg N ha−1) before soybean planting.
- All cover crop treatments significantly reduced soil water NO3-N (mean = 4 mg L−1) compared to fallow treatments (mean = 31 mg L−1).
Conclusions:
- Cash cover crops, specifically pennycress and winter camelina, effectively sequester labile soil nutrients.
- These oilseed crops contribute to nutrient retention, protecting soil health from autumn through early summer.
- Pennycress and winter camelina offer dual benefits: environmental protection and potential economic returns for growers.
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