Reduced-tillage systems that augment soil inorganic N availability while reducing N losses can improve the nitrogen-use efficiency of cover crop-based organic cropping systems. We conducted a three year full factorial field experiment in the upper Midwest, USA to examine the effects of strip-tillage and a cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) cover crop mixture on (1) soil inorganic nitrogen (N) concentrations throughout the growing season, (2) sweet corn (Zea mays L.) crop productivity and N uptake, and (3) potential N loss via denitrification and leaching. We compared full-width tillage (FWT) vs. strip-tillage (ST) with and without a rye-vetch cover crop. ST decreased soil inorganic N concentrations 16–40% compared to FWT, with soil inorganic N higher in the tilled in-row zone compared to the undisturbed between-row zone in 1 of 3 years. The rye-vetch cover crop did not provide a consistent increase in soil inorganic N. ST increased soil leachate N concentrations by ~50% and increased the potential for denitrification by 18% but depressed sweet corn biomass and N contents in only one of three years, when hairy vetch biomass and soil moisture was lowest. We conclude that utilizing ST in combination with a cover crop is not likely to improve N use efficiency or crop yields, and may increase N losses within an organic cover crop-based cropping system.

在减少氮损失的同时增加土壤无机氮可用性的少耕系统可以提高以覆盖作物为基础的有机种植系统的氮利用效率。我们进行在上部中西部，USA三年全因子田间试验以检查条形耕作和谷物黑麦（的效果黑麦L.）和毛苕子（毛苕子罗斯）上覆盖作物混合物（1）土壤无机氮（N）在整个生长季节浓度，（2）甜玉米（玉蜀黍L.) 作物生产力和 N 吸收，以及 (3) 通过反硝化和浸出的潜在 N 损失。我们比较了全宽耕作 (FWT) 与条带耕作 (ST)，有和没有黑麦 - 紫云英覆盖作物。与 FWT 相比，ST 使土壤无机 N 浓度降低了 16-40%，与未受干扰的行间区相比，在 3 年中的一年中，耕作行间区的土壤无机 N 更高。黑麦 - 紫云英覆盖作物没有提供土壤无机 N 的持续增加。 ST 使土壤渗滤液 N 浓度增加了约 50%，使反硝化的潜力增加了 18%，但仅在三年中的一年内降低了甜玉米生物量和 N 含量，当紫云英生物量和土壤水分最低时。我们得出结论，将 ST 与覆盖作物结合使用不太可能提高氮的利用效率或作物产量，