Soil Health Evaluation in No-till, Cover Crop, Pumpkin Production Systems in the Great Plains.

Vegetable production can be highly disruptive to soil health, particularly when significant cultivation is used and can lead to soil erosion and compaction. Pumpkin production, in particular, can lead to severe erosion as little residue is left to provide cover during winter months. No-till production methods have been widely adopted by agronomic (field corn, soybean, wheat, etc.) growers in the Great Plains and throughout the US. However, no-till practices in vegetable production in Kansas and Missouri are relatively rare. Furthermore, research is needed to assess the impact of cover crop species for potential effects on pumpkin production such as fruit quantity and quality, as well as upon soil health. Replicated, large-scale trials were conducted for three growing seasons and at two experiment stations in Kansas. Dynamic soil properties were measured three weeks after planting and following harvest each site year for infiltration, microbial biomass, inorganic N, wet aggregate stability, and bulk density. Few significant treatment differences existed for soil properties measured in this experiment, however, soil density was greatest for the conventional tillage control treatment.  Results from the study were disseminated at the 2015 Growing Growers Market Garden conference, and the environmental benefits of no-till and cover crops were demonstrated using a rainfall simulator.