From Monoculture to Biculture: Cover Cropping Effects on Nitrogen Dynamics in a Strip Tilled Corn Production System.

An increasing demand for agriculture improvement in productivity is constant due to the continual and projected growth in the world’s population. The per capita demand for crops has been similarly increasing, which forecasts a 100-110% increase in global crop demand towards 2050. This tendency leads to a scenario where greater output must occur at either equally or lower inputs. A major limitation to plant growth under intensively farmed conditions is N availability and due to environmental concerns is also monitored for losses from the soil. Modern agriculture recognizes the fundamental role that soil fertility and conservation management play towards sustainable production. Cover crops, within several of their benefits have shown strong evidence that they can replace or at least substantially reduce fertilizer N requirements, depending on the specie. The usage of cover crops has expanded through the years, nevertheless it’s still not a global technique employed by farmers. Gaining insight of management techniques is necessary to increase the willingness of using cover crops. More importantly, there is limited research evaluating the effects of using multi-specie mixtures of cover crops in contrast to single species. Experimental plots from a 3-y study of winter-spring cover crop mixtures of legume species with cereal rye (Secale cereale) and tillage radish (Raphanus sativus L.) will be used to quantify cover crop biomass and total nitrogen content. Subsequently, corn production will be used to evaluate the N input effects on yield and nutrition from VT, through to physiological maturity and harvest grain. It is expected that a greater understanding of the synergistic or antagonistic effects of using cover crop mixtures are better quantified. An increase in the N input from mixtures may represent a partial or sustainable source of the N subsequent crop requirements.