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Cover crops increase tomato productivity and reduce nitrogen losses in a temperate humid climate

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Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Although cover crops (CC) are a promising option for reducing N losses, CC impacts on N availability and subsequent yields are highly inconsistent. Therefore, in a medium-term CC experiment in Ontario, Canada, the effect of using annual CC six times over 8 years on N cycling and processing tomato yield and quality during CC and tomato growing seasons was assessed. The five treatments included no cover crop control (no-CC), oat, oilseed radish, winter cereal rye, and mixture (radish + rye). Cover crop biomass was sampled in fall (2014 and 2015) and spring (2015 and 2016). Cover crops did not decrease fall soil mineral N content but accumulated an avg. of 93.5 kg N ha−1 in above-ground tissues. In both fall seasons, greater (avg. 38%) above-ground N content from radish than the other tested CC suggests the enhanced ability of radish to scavenge N and mitigate N losses. Except radish C:N (32.3) in spring 2015, spring above-ground C:N (< 30) was favourable for mineralization. Despite greater C:N in spring 2015, soil mineral N content was greatest from radish (avg. 255 kg N ha−1) at June in both years. Although CC increased tomato marketable yield up to 22%, tomato above-ground N content did not increase with CC. In contrast to crop yield, tomato fruit quality was not impacted by CC treatments. Our results of greater or equal tomato yield with CC than no-CC suggests that integrating CC in cropping systems is an effective approach to maintain and potentially enhance agroecosystem resiliency in the long-term.

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Abbreviations

CC:

Cover crops

no-CC:

No cover crop control

Radish:

Oilseed radish

Radish + rye:

Mixture of oilseed radish and winter cereal rye

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers, Grain Farmers of Ontario and Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance. We also appreciate the contribution of research technician Mike Zink and the summer students in the field and lab analysis as well as tomato quality quantification by Steven Loewen. The Ridgetown Campus is one of 15 agricultural research stations across the province that are owned by the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario and managed by the University of Guelph through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Government of Ontario and the University of Guelph.

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  1. School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, Ridgetown, ON, N0P 2C0, Canada

    I. Chahal & L. L. Van Eerd

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Chahal, I., Van Eerd, L.L. Cover crops increase tomato productivity and reduce nitrogen losses in a temperate humid climate. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 119, 195–211 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-020-10105-6

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