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Effects of Winter Cover Crops on Soil Properties and Yields in a Cotton‐corn and in a Cotton‐peanut Rotation
Author(s) -
Welch C. D.,
Nelson W. L.,
Krantz B. A.
Publication year - 1951
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1951.036159950015000c0051x
Subject(s) - cover crop , crop rotation , agronomy , soil water , mathematics , agriculture , crop , archaeology , geography , biology , ecology
C beneficial effects of cover crops as green manures and soil conserving crops have long been recognized in agriculture. The increased yield of the succeeding crops has been attributed to various factors such as nitrogen supplied, soil and water conservation, and improved physical condition of the soil. In view of the predominant row-crop system of farming in southeastern United States, winter cover crops might offer considerable promise in improving soil productivity. Several investigators have studied the effects of cover crops on soil properties, such as water-holding capacity, aggregation, and pore size distribution (1, 2, 3, 5, 6). Reports of their findings show crop yield increases as great as 60% following cover crops, but the explanations are conflicting. In some cases the beneficial effect of one cover crop has remained 2 to 3 years while in others a reduced yield has resulted (4). It is the purpose of this paper to present data comparing the effects of certain winter cover crops in a 2-year rotation of cotton-corn and a 2-year rotation of cotton-peanuts during the period from 1945 to 1949One cover crop in a continuous cotton rotation is included. Soil and plant analyses and penetrometer data are also presented.