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Effects of moisture and temperature on C and N mineralization from surface-applied cover crop residues

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Abstract

Cover crop (CC) decomposition and subsequent release of nitrogen (N) are highly influenced by residue water potential (ψ) and temperature (T). To evaluate how carbon (C) and N mineralization from surface-applied CC residues responds to changes in ψ and T, a controlled microcosm experiment was conducted for 150 days with three CC residues (early-killed cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), late-killed cereal rye, late-killed crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), and a soil-alone control) under different ψ (−0.03, −1.5, −5, and −10 MPa) and T (15, 25, and 35 °C) conditions. Headspace gas was sampled periodically to determine carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Soil inorganic N was determined by destructive sampling at 15, 30, 60, 100, and 150 days. Temporal dynamics in C and N mineralization from surface-applied CC residues were adequately described by first-order rate kinetic models. Early-killed rye and crimson clover (low C:N) residues decomposed quickly and mineralized N, whereas, late-killed rye residue (high fiber content and C:N) immobilized N. The normalized values of C and N mineralized from surface-applied CC residues increased exponentially with increasing ψ from −10.0 to −0.03 MPa. Increasing T from 15 to 35 °C further amplified the effect of ψ, suggesting a strong interactive effect of ψ and T on C and N mineralization from CC residues. Mathematical equations were developed to describe these interactive effects. Existing computer simulation models (e.g., CERES-N) could be improved by integrating these equations to simulate the effect of environmental conditions on surface-applied CC residue decomposition and N mineralization.

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Abbreviations

CC:

Cover crops

θ g :

Gravimetric water content

ψ :

Water potential

T :

Temperature

MTRF:

Moisture-temperature reduction factor

k values:

Decay rate constants

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Acknowledgements

We express our sincere thanks to the research interns and technical staff of the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD for their laboratory assistance.

Availability of data and material

Raw data will be made available upon request.

Code availability

R codes used for data analysis will be made available upon request.

Funding

This research is part of a regional collaborative project supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (Conservation Innovation Grant # 8042-21660-004-36-R), USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Award # 2018-68011-28372), and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) graduate student grant (Award # GNE17-160-31064).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Resham Thapa & Katherine L. Tully

  2. Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    Resham Thapa, Harry H. Schomberg, Brian W. Davis & Steven B. Mirsky

  3. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Miguel L. Cabrera, Carson Dann & Julia Gaskin

  4. Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    Dennis Timlin

  5. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Chris Reberg-Horton

  6. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Brian W. Davis

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  1. Resham Thapa
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  2. Katherine L. Tully
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  3. Miguel L. Cabrera
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Correspondence to Resham Thapa.

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Highlights

• First-order rate kinetic models adequately described C and N mineralization.

• Net N immobilization was observed in late-killed rye residue.

• Increasing temperature (T) enhanced water potential (ψ) effect on C and N mineralization.

• C and N mineralized increased exponentially with increasing ψ from −10.0 to −0.03 MPa.

• Mathematical equations were developed to describe ψ and T interactive effects.

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Thapa, R., Tully, K.L., Cabrera, M.L. et al. Effects of moisture and temperature on C and N mineralization from surface-applied cover crop residues. Biol Fertil Soils 57, 485–498 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-021-01543-7

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