Cropping system yield stability in response to plant diversity and soil organic carbon in temperate ecosystems

Abstract

ABSTRACTDecreasing soil productivity, despite improved crop genetics and soil technologies, signals a need for refined understanding of the interaction between soils and plants. For example, to what degree do improvements in soil structural stability and the number and type of plant species contribute to yield variability with extremes of weather? The role that soil aggregation and carbon play in the resilience of soil, and thus plant growth in extremes of moisture availability, is not well interpreted. Ultimately, improving soil organic carbon (SOC) also improves soil water retention and availability, which extends the limits of environmental variation for optimum plant growth. Not only is a significant amount of organic carbon a major element in soil resilience, but there may be interaction with the diversity of plants, which becomes evident with cover crop and crop rotation systems in agriculture. More diverse rotations including cover crops are being tested to explore the mechanisms and benefits of multispecies crop mixes. This review will explore the role of SOC and plant diversity for cropping system resilience with lessons from the temperate North American climate.