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Combining cover crops and low nitrogen fertilization improves soil supporting functions

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Abstract

Background and aims

Cover crops may restore soil functions lost with single summer crop sequences enhancing soil organic carbon and nitrogen (SOC and SON) stocks. We investigated the effect of cover crops and low nitrogen (N) fertilization on SOC and SON and soil structure (pore size distribution and aggregate stability), and connected changes with cover crop-related variables.

Methods

We used a six-year experiment with different winter cover crops in a maize-soybean rotation under no tillage with or without N fertilization of maize (32 kg ha−1).

Results

Most cover crops increased SOC (0.36 ± 0.23 Mg ha−1 yr.−1) and vetch also increased SON in the absence of N fertilization. With cover crops, N storage shifted from inorganic to more stable organic forms (SON and cover crop biomass). Cover crops except forage radish increased soil porosity favoring 300–60 μm macropores (0–10 cm depth). Soil aggregation at 0–5 cm depth was more stable with than without cover crops (43 and 25%, respectively). The effect of glomalin as aggregation agent was observed in the absence of N fertilization.

Conclusions

Increased N retention and input (in the case of vetch), combined with C input from cover crops, increased organic reserves and improved soil structure, enabling N fertilization reduction.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA, Argentina) through project PNSUELO 1134042. The authors are grateful to Juliana Torti, Leticia García and Jimena Dalpiaz for laboratory assistance and to Diego Colombini, Fabio Villalba, Adolfo Sosa and Alberto Rondán for field assistance. Diego Chavarria collaborated with the determination of soil glomalin concentration at the Instituto de Patología Vegetal (IPAVE-INTA, Argentina). We are especially grateful to Jorge Mercau who thoroughly reviewed our work and contributed with significant input.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo Gestión Ambiental, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino, INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria), Ruta 32 km 4.5, 2700 Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Silvina Beatriz Restovich, Adrián Enrique Andriulo & Silvina Isabel Portela

  2. Escuela Politécnica de Huesca, Universidad de Zaragoza, Carretera de Cuarte s/n, 22071, Huesca, Spain

    Cecilia María Armas-Herrera

  3. Departamento de Estadística, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino, INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria), Ruta 32 km 4.5, 2700 Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María José Beribe

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  1. Silvina Beatriz Restovich
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Correspondence to Silvina Isabel Portela.

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Restovich, S.B., Andriulo, A.E., Armas-Herrera, C.M. et al. Combining cover crops and low nitrogen fertilization improves soil supporting functions. Plant Soil 442, 401–417 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04205-8

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