Pennycress reduces potential for nutrient loss in Illinois

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Soil Science

Background:

• Nutrient export from agriculture threatens aquatic ecosystems.
• Cover crops show potential for reducing agricultural nutrient loss.
• The Upper US Midwest faces challenges meeting nutrient reduction goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) as a winter cash cover crop.
• To assess its effect on soil porewater and soil nutrients.
• To determine its viability for reducing nutrient export from row crop agriculture.

Main Methods:

• Field study over 4 years with replicated plots.
• Pennycress and fertilized pennycress treatments compared to a fallow reference.
• Monitoring of soil porewater and soil nutrients at various depths.

Main Results:

• Pennycress reduced soil porewater nitrate-nitrogen by 53% at 45 cm depth.
• Fertilized pennycress reduced porewater nitrate-nitrogen by 34%.
• Early season establishment significantly influenced nutrient reduction efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Pennycress demonstrates potential as an effective cover crop for reducing nutrient loss.
• The crop can contribute to meeting environmental nutrient reduction targets.
• No broad negative effects on soil characteristics were observed after 4 years.