In Coastal Plain soils, low levels of carbon and soil organic matter in the soils lead to a range of crop production problems including high disease rates, low yields, compacted
Warm season cover crops have the potential to fill fallow periods between vegetable crops, after field crop harvest, or act as living mulches in cash crop plantings. Substantial research has
Herbicides have been a major weed management tool, but cover crops have the potential to suppress weeds provided there is enough biomass production. Early seeding, herbicide carryover damage, timely termination,
Plant roots are critical to the delivery of soil ecosystem services as they directly interact with the soil. Root contribution to soil C is often overlooked as many studies focus
Cover cropping is increasingly considered in semiarid regions to increase soil organic matter sequestration and improve soil health because of their biomass carbon contribution, soil temperature moderation, moisture conservation, soil
The potential for cover crops to decrease agricultural nutrient losses and improve soil health has sparked a reemergence of interest in the practice. Though, recent studies have shown that there
Weed infestation is one of the major agronomic challenges in row-crop production. Weed suppression can be achieved by cover crops (CC) due to several reasons including the amount of CC
Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for crop growth and is usually required in the greatest quantities for maximal biomass and grain production. Unfortunately, residual -N remaining in
Soil microbial community structure and functioning, including substrate catalysis and nutrient cycling, in agroecosystems vary with soil management practices. Intensifying and diversifying cropping systems by integrating cover crops can increase
The presence of cover crops in the U.S. Midwest maize and soybean fields has shown to be a beneficial practice from an environmental benefits viewpoint. Cover crops reduce water runoff,
Cover crops (CC) preceding corn may influence subsequent nitrogen (N) availability, but it is not clear whether N strategies require adjustment. Field studies conducted in 2015 to 2016 evaluated the
Within semi-arid environments, reduction in soil moisture by cover crops is a potential disadvantage. Water is often the most limiting factor in crop production across the U.S. Great Plains. Water
Moving agricultural production systems toward a greater level of soil health is needed for sustainability. Conservation agricultural systems utilizing no or minimum tillage are an important step forward, but enhancing
Pennycress can be used as a renewable biomass because its harvested seeds can be converted into biofuel, supplying, for example the aviation industry. Pennycress can be adopted as a winter
Cover crops provide a variety of important agroecological services within cropping systems. Typically, these crops are grown as monocultures or simple graminoid-legume bicultures; however, ecological theory and empirical evidence suggest
The upper Midwest USA leads the nation in production, accounting for 37% of the total sweet corn hectarage in the United States. However, sweet corn has a proportionally larger potential
Removal of biomass for bioenergy production may decrease soil organic carbon. While perennials or cover‐cropped grains often have greater root production than annual grain crops, they variably impact soil carbon
Corn (Zea mays L.) grain is a major commodity crop in Illinois and its production largely relies on timely application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers. Currently, growers in Illinois and other
Plant-derived biopolymers are renewable and readily available, thus making viable alternatives to synthetic polymers. The present study examined properties of biopolymers from cover crops such as rye, oat, clover, vetch,
Legume cover crops can play a valuable role in maintaining and increasing soil quality and nitrogen availability, but are infrequently grown in the Upper Midwest due to short growing seasons