Effect of Cover Crop Type and Application Rate on Soil Nitrogen Mineralization and Availability in Organic Rice Production

Xiufen Li, Andrew Tan, Kun Chen, Yeming Pan, Terry Gentry and Fugen Dou
Additional contact information
Xiufen Li: Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Beaumont, Texas A&M University System, Beaumont, TX 77713, USA
Andrew Tan: School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
Kun Chen: Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Yeming Pan: Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Terry Gentry: Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Fugen Dou: Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Beaumont, Texas A&M University System, Beaumont, TX 77713, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: In drill-seeded, delay-flooded organic rice production, reliable predictions of N supply from cover crop (CC) residues to subsequent rice are still a challenge. An incubation was conducted to determine the effects of CC types (clover, ryegrass, clover and ryegrass mixtures, and fallow), residue application rates (0, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, and 2.4%) and incubation time on soil CO 2 evolution and N mineralization and availability. The cumulative CO 2 evolution linearly increased with increasing residue rate. Compared to the control, adding CCs residue significantly increased the cumulative CO 2 emission, which was greatest in soils with clover or mixtures of clover and ryegrass, followed by fallow, and lowest in soils with ryegrass. The modeling results indicated clover had the greatest initial C and N mineralization rates and the shortest half-lives. A temporary decrease in soil mineral N caused by immobilization occurred at the initial incubation stage in all treatments. However, the trend reversed progressively, with the clover treatment requiring the shortest time to meet the crossover point. The results suggested clover was the optimal CC type, 0.6% was the optimal residue rate, and a minimum of 27 days between CC termination and rice planting was required to maximize mineral N supply for organic rice.

Keywords: organic farming; cover crop; N mineralization; N supply; soil incubation; microbial decomposition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:2866-:d:511953

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