Soil Physical Properties As Affected By a Cereal Rye (Secale cereale L.) Cover Crop in a Corn-Soybean Rotation in Indiana.

Long-term sustainability of our soils resource base is a critical component of maintaining and increasing crop yields in spite of extreme weather events. Cover crops and no-tillage are two possible management practices that may increase resiliency to climate stresses by lowering soil bulk density, increasing infiltration rates, resisting erosion by increasing aggregation, and increasing water retention capacity.  The Corn Based Cropping Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project (CSCAP) was begun in 2011 and is a collaboration of ten land grant universities and two ARS research facilities spanning much of the Corn Belt. One of the fundamental goals of the project is to increase resiliency of corn based cropping systems to climate variability through different management practices such as extended crop rotations, drainage water management, the use of cover crops, or no-tillage management. With that scope in mind, a sixteen hectare field in Southeastern Indiana was chosen for a study on the effects of a cereal rye cover crop on soil physical and chemical properties, as well as the effects on yield and crop production in a corn-soybean (Zea mays L. – Glycine max L. Merr.) rotation. The site was split into four blocks of four treatments each with corn and soybean alternating yearly and with cereal rye or a no cereal rye control following each cash crop. Soil measurements include aggregation, infiltration, bulk density, water retention, soil nitrate and ammonium, and total soil nitrogen and carbon. Plant measurements include cover crop growth and nitrogen content, as well as corn grain and corn stover nitrogen and carbon, and corn and soybean yield. Data on the soil physical properties measured during this study will be presented, focused on year five of the project.