Integrating Winter Cover Crops Did Not Change Cotton Lint Yield Responses to Nitrogen Fertilization in Sandy Soils

Swabir Alhassan Musah, Pratima Poudel, Michael Jones, Bhupinder Singh Farmaha and Rongzhong Ye ()
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Swabir Alhassan Musah: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Pratima Poudel: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Michael Jones: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Bhupinder Singh Farmaha: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
Rongzhong Ye: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: A two-year field trial (2021–2023) was conducted to evaluate the impacts of cover crop (CC) inclusion (cereal rye, crimson clover, mixtures of cereal rye and crimson clover, and fallow control) and nitrogen (N) fertilization (0, 22, 45, 90, 135, and 180 kg N ha −1 ) in cotton production in sandy soils. Cover crops were planted in October and terminated two weeks before cotton planting in May. The N was applied in split applications. Cover crop aboveground biomass was collected, oven dried, and weighed, and then used for C and N analyses. Soils were sampled at CC termination and analyzed for biogeochemical properties. Cotton lint yields and agronomic nutrient use efficiency (aNUE) were estimated. The CC mixtures provided higher organic C and N inputs as residue returns than individual species. Integrating CCs had limited impacts on measured soil properties. Integrating CCs resulted in positive, neutral, and adverse effects on lint yield and aNUE depending on species and growing seasons. Applying N at 22 kg ha −1 increased lint yields in 2022, while higher rates did not improve the yields further. Similar patterns of impacts were observed at the N rate of 45 kg ha −1 in 2023. The results indicated that integrating CC mixtures can favor long-term C and N sequestration in sandy soils. However, optimal management is essential to realize their benefits. Relevant research to better understand the decomposition of their residues would be beneficial in improving the management of desirable outcomes.

Keywords: cover crops; nutrient management; cotton production; nutrient use efficiency; sandy soils (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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