Soil 9.5 - cover crops Flashcards
What are 5 benefits of crop rotation?
- improve yield
- reduce NO3- leaching (less synthetic N use)
- reduce soil erosion
- improve soil health
- improve biodiversity
- weed suppression
What changes have there been in ontario agriculture soils?
- decrease in pasture
- increase in corn, soy cover
- urban sprawl
What is One Health structure?
loss of biodiversity eventually impacts human health/well-being
What 2 major factors of soil management impact soil health?
- living roots
- nutrient management
How do we study soil microbial communities?
- collect soils
- extract nucleic acids
- quantitative PCR to estimate specific microbial communities
How long does it take for microbial communities to recover from agriculture?
50+ years without disturbance
What are the 3 benefits of having living roots?
- more exudates
- more soil C
- deep soil C priming
How do cover crops influence active carbon and water stable aggregates?
increase them!
What impact do cover crops increase in soils?
nitrate and ammonium levels
What factor is important for getting cover crops to establish?
nutrient management (affects soil water dynamics)
What are the indicated results of the Curve Lake cover crop experiment?
cover crops establish better when nutrients are added
- cover crops keep moisture in soil
- cover crops help reduce N losses
- cover crops increase active carbon and water stable aggregates
- cover crops increase N-cycling SMCs (?)
- cover crops increase cytokinins (plant growth hormones)
What do diversified crop rotations that include cover crops help with?
- build soil health
- provision ecosystem services
