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Soil Response to Corn Residue Removal and Cover Crops in Eastern South Dakota
Author(s) -
Wegner Brianna R.,
Kumar Sandeep,
Osborne Shan L.,
Schumacher Thomas E.,
Vahyala Ibrahim E.,
Eynard Anna
Publication year - 2015
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/sssaj2014.10.0399
Subject(s) - crop residue , loam , agronomy , cover crop , residue (chemistry) , environmental science , soil quality , soil carbon , soil water , chemistry , soil science , biology , agriculture , biochemistry , ecology
Excessive removal of crop residue has been shown to degrade soil organic carbon (SOC), and hence soil quality. Our objective was to assess the impacts of corn ( Zea mays L.) residue removal and cover crops on various soil quality indicators. The experiment was conducted on a silty clay loam soil with and without a cover crop following three residue removal treatments. The low residue removal (LRR) treatment consisted of harvesting corn grain, leaving all other plant materials on the soil surface. Medium residue removal (MRR) consisted of harvesting grain, then chopping, windrowing and baling the remaining residue. The high residue removal (HRR) consisted of cutting the stalks 0.15 m from the ground and removing essentially all above‐ground biomass. Crop residue removal significantly impacted measured soil properties including SOC, but cover cropping had minimal effects. The LRR treatment resulted in higher SOC concentrations and increased aggregate stability compared with other treatments. Residue removal significantly impacted the microbial activity as measured by hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA). This study confirmed that HRR rates lead to SOC decomposition and adversely affect soil properties and soil quality. Soil conservation and emerging uses for crop residues must be balanced. Therefore, before making any decision to harvest crop residues, it is essential to have accumulated more C in the residue and supplemental cover crops than is needed to maintain equilibrium SOC levels.