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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Livestock Bio-Systems » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #403731
Research Project: Applying Nutritional Strategies to Improve Early Embryonic Development and Progeny Performance in Beef Cows

Location: Livestock Bio-Systems

Title: Alfalfa in rotation with annual crops reduces nitrate leaching potential and increases soil organic carbon sequestration

Author
item SINGH, A - University Of Nebraska
item AFZAL, T - University Of Nebraska
item Woodbury, Bryan
item WORTMANN, C - University Of Nebraska
item IQBAL, J - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Extension Reports
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2023
Publication Date: 3/31/2023
Citation: Singh, A., Afzal, T., Woodbury, B.L., Wortmann, C., Iqbal, J. 2023. Alfalfa in rotation with annual crops reduces nitrate leaching potential and increases soil organic carbon sequestration. CropWatch, March 31, 2023.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Increasing nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) contamination of groundwater has raised significant environmental and health concerns in Nebraska. One way to reduce the nitrate contamination of groundwater is to follow best nutrient management practices (BMPs). Including a perennial crop in the annual corn-based cropping system is one of the BMPs to potentially decrease NO3-N load to the groundwater. Including alfalfa in rotations to reduce NO3-N leaching is a long-recognized concept. Past several studies have found that alfalfa aggressively scavenges nitrogen in the soil. However, the effect of alfalfa in the rotation on NO3-N, soil organic carbon (SOC), and water at >5 m soil depth remained uncertain. Therefore, we conducted a study to evaluate the impact of alfalfa in rotation with annual crops for rooting plus vadose zone to 7.2 m depth (0-7.2 m) on NO3-N and NH4-N concentration, and soil organic carbon sequestration in Nebraska (Singh et al., 2023). The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of alfalfa rotation compared with continuous corn after 20 yr on (i) NO3-N leaching potential, (ii) NH4-N, SOC, total soil nitrogen (TSN), and soil organic nitrogen (SON) in 0-7.2 m, and (iii) soil water for a subsequent annual crop. We hypothesized that for 0-7.2 m with alfalfa rotation compared with continuous corn (i) NO3-N in 0-7.2 m would be reduced, (ii) SOC, TSN, and SON will be increased, and (iii) soil water would be reduced in the root zone of a subsequent corn crop.