The Effect of Cover Crops on the Yield of Spring Barley in Estonia

Merili Toom,Lea Narits,Sirje Tamm,Inga Hiiesalu,Ilmar Tamm,Liina Talgre,Enn Lauringson,Ülle Tamm,Andres Mäe

doi:10.3390/agriculture9080172

Merili Toom, Lea Narits + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9080172

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Abstract

Using cover crops in fallow periods of crop production is an important management tool for reducing nitrate leaching and therefore improving nitrogen availability for subsequent crops. We estimated the short-term effect of five cover crop species on the yield of successive spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) for two years in Estonia. The cover crop species used in the study were winter rye (Secale cereale L.), winter turnip rape (Brassica rapa spp. oleifera L.), forage radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.). The results indicated that out of the five tested cover crops, forage radish and hairy vetch increased the yield of subsequent spring barley, whereas the other cover crops had no effect on barley yield. All cover crop species had low C:N ratios (11–17), suggesting that nitrogen (N) was available for barley early in the spring.

Highlights

Using cover crops in fallow periods of crop production is an important management tool for reducing nitrate leaching and providing green manure service by improving the nitrogen (N) nutrition of subsequent crops [1,2,3]
The results indicated that out of the five tested cover crops, forage radish and hairy vetch increased the yield of subsequent spring barley, whereas the other cover crops had no effect on barley yield
Many studies have researched the effect of cover crops on subsequent crop yields, but the results are very variable depending on factors such as cover crop species, biomass production and quality, environmental factors, and management practices [1]

Summary

Introduction

Using cover crops in fallow periods of crop production is an important management tool for reducing nitrate leaching and providing green manure service by improving the nitrogen (N) nutrition of subsequent crops [1,2,3]. Many studies have researched the effect of cover crops on subsequent crop yields, but the results are very variable depending on factors such as cover crop species, biomass production and quality, environmental factors, and management practices [1]. The main influence of cover crops on subsequent crop yield is through their effect on N availability in the soil. Leguminous cover crops bind N from the atmosphere and thereby provide additional nitrogen [4,5] This causes faster mineralization of soil-incorporated leguminous residues thanks to the higher N concentration and lower C:N ratio of legumes’ biomass. Mixtures of leguminous and non-leguminous cover crop species have been shown to be more effective in both providing nitrate supply and being employed as green manure [8,9,10,11].

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