Impact of a Corn-Living Mulch Cropping System on Soil C- and N-Dynamics

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2016-01-01
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Banik, Chumki
Bartel, Cynthia
Laird, David
Moore, Kenneth
Lenssen, Andrew
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Lenssen, Andrew
Professor Emeritus
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Agronomy
Abstract

Use of a living mulch in a continuous corn cropping system can potentially protect the soil from erosion and increase organic C inputs into the soil thereby enhancing soil quality and facilitating greater harvest corn stover for bio-energy production. The objective of this study is to evaluate soil C- and N-dynamics under a corn-living mulch system that includes a shallow rooted perennial cover crop, strip tillage, and spring burn down. This study hypothesized that a well managed shallow rooted perennial cover crop can improve soil quality by increasing soil C storage and synergistically distributing soil nutrients. Here we report impacts of the living mulch systems on season Mehlich III extractable nutrients and the inter-season timing and distribution of water extractable C and 2M KCl extractable NO3 and NH4 for 3 site-years. Two living mulch systems were used, Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and Tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.], and soil samples were collected from within rows (strip till zone where corn is planted with no cover crop) and in between corn rows (under the perennial cover crop) thrice a month after N-fertilizer application. The nutrient data and their implications on corn yield will be reported to evaluate impacts of living mulches on continuous corn systems.

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This is an abstract of a presentation from the ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, November 6–9, 2016. Posted with permission.

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Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2016