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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Agroecosystem Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #354236
Title: Cover crops and corn residue removal: impacts on soil hydraulic properties and their relationships with carbon

Author
item SINDELAR, MICHAEL - University Of Nebraska
item BLANCO, HUMBERTO - University Of Nebraska
item Jin, Virginia
item FERGUSON, RICHARD - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2018
Publication Date: 2/1/2019
Citation: Sindelar, M., Blanco, H., Jin, V.L., Ferguson, R. 2019. Cover crops and corn residue removal: impacts on soil hydraulic properties and their relationships with carbon. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 83(1):221-231. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2018.06.0225.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2018.06.0225

Interpretive Summary: Corn stover management can have a significant impacts on soil moisture and organic matter status, which can affect crop growth. In this study, changes in soil moisture and soil organic carbon were evaluated following stover management (no removal, maximum removal) with and without using a winter rye cover crop as a companion conservation practice. In this irrigated no-till continuous corn system in Nebraska, 6 yr of stover removal significantly decreased water infiltration, soil water availability, soil organic matter, and significantly increased water erosion risk. Cover crops had no effects on soil moisture and only partially restored soil organic carbon levels. These results showed that using a companion conservation practice like winter rye cover crop was not enough to fully offset the negative impacts of aggressively removing corn stover in this irrigated no-till continuous corn system.

Technical Abstract: Large-scale crop residue removal may negatively affect soil water dynamics. Integrating cover crop (CC) with crop residue management can be a strategy to offset potential adverse effects of residue removal. We studied: (i) the impact of corn (Zea mays L.) residue removal (56%) with and without the use of winter rye (Secale cereale L.) CC on soil hydraulic properties, (ii) whether CC would ameliorate residue removal effects on hydraulic properties, and (iii) relationships of hydraulic properties with soil organic C (SOC) and other properties under irrigated no-till continuous corn on a silt loam in south central Nebraska after 5 and 6 yr of management. Cover crops did not affect soil hydraulic properties. However, residue removal reduced cumulative water infiltration by about 45% in one year. Across years, residue removal reduced plant available water (PAW) by 32% and mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregates (MWD) by 23% for the upper 5-cm soil depth. Under no CC, residue removal reduced SOC concentration by 25% in the 0- to 5-cm and by 11% in the 5- to 10-cm depths. Under residue removal, CC increased SOC concentration by 18% in the 0- to 5-cm and by 8% in the 5 to 10-cm depths. Cover crop did not completely offset the residue removal-induced decrease in SOC concentration in the upper 5-cm depth. Plant available water decreased as SOC concentration and MWD decreased. After 6 yr, corn residue removal adversely affected soil hydraulic properties and SOC concentration, but CC was unable to fully offset such adverse impacts.