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Short-term nitrogen mineralization from warm-season cover crops in organic farming systems

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Abstract

Background and aims

Further understanding the factors which influence cover crop decomposition is needed to tailor management practices to achieve production and environmental stewardship goals.

Methods

Short-term Nmin from warm-season cover crops in organic farming systems was assessed with a variety of field and lab-based measures including: residue biochemical composition, extractable inorganic N, ion-exchange resin membranes, potential Cmin and Nmin.

Results

Residue biochemical composition and environmental conditions appeared to be the primary factors affecting short-term Nmin in our study. Legume-dominated cover crops demonstrated greater potential Nmin than grass cover crops with higher C:N ratios. However even cover crops with C:N ratios >40:1 were predicted to result in mean net Nmin rather than immobilization. Sorghum-sudangrass demonstrated a greater ability to moderate nitrate loss from the top 0–15 cm of soil over the fall season compared to the other cover crops evaluated.

Conclusions

The difference in potential Nmin of low and high C:N ratio cover crops was not as appreciable as expected. Our data suggests that the microbial community reduced its carbon use efficiency (CUE) due to suboptimal soil moisture. Further investigation into the impacts of soil moisture on residue decomposition in agroecosystems is needed to better understand and manage short-term C and N cycling.

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Abbreviations

Nmin :

Nitrogen mineralization

Cmin :

Carbon mineralization

PRS:

Plant root simulator probes

CUE:

Carbon use efficiency

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SSARE) and the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) for their generous financial support. We also would like to thank NCDA/CEFS experiment station, the NCSU soil analytical lab and statistician Joy Smith for invaluable assistance, and multiple anonymous reviewers for their valuable input.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Horticulture Department, University of Georgia, 1111 Plant Science Bldg., Athens, GA, 30602-7273, USA

    S. O’Connell

  2. Department of Soil Science, North Carolina State University, Box #7619, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    W. Shi & G. D. Hoyt

  3. Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota, 454 Alderman Hall, 1970 Folwell Ave., Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    J. M. Grossman

  4. Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Box #7609, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    G. D. Hoyt, K. L. Fager & N. G. Creamer

Authors
  1. S. O’Connell
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  2. W. Shi
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  3. J. M. Grossman
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  4. G. D. Hoyt
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  5. K. L. Fager
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  6. N. G. Creamer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. O’Connell.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Johan Six.

One of the authors of this study, Ken Fager, has passed away since the project was completed. The authors would like to retain him as an author as he was integral to the success of this effort.

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O’Connell, S., Shi, W., Grossman, J.M. et al. Short-term nitrogen mineralization from warm-season cover crops in organic farming systems. Plant Soil 396, 353–367 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2594-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2594-2

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