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Agronomy
Special Issues
Cover Crops Contributions to Soil Health
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Cover Crops Contributions to Soil Health

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovative Cropping Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 5739

Special Issue Editors

Dr. María Bonita Villamil

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Interests: agronomy; sustainability; soil health; microbiome; cover crops; statistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. María Celina Zabaloy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Microbial Ecology Laboratory, Departamento de Agronomía (UNS), Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS), Bahía Blanca 8000, Argentina
Interests: soil microbiology; microbial ecology; soil biochemistry; soil ecotoxicology; plant-microbe interaction; microbiomes; organic fertilization; cover crops

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of the soil microbiome is essential for the maintenance and enhancement of soil health; yet, it remains drastically understudied in agricultural research. Cover cropping is the most promising in-field strategy with the potential to mitigate the consequences of soil degradation by increasing the temporal and spatial diversification of farm operations. Cover crops are grown specifically to protect the soil against erosion, ameliorate soil structure, enhance soil fertility, suppress pests, and prevent N and P losses to the environment. The benefits of cover cropping have been shown to extend to the soil microbiota, increasing the microbial abundance, activity, and diversity. As researchers in agriculture, we understand that the realization of the benefits from cover cropping depends on specific agronomic and environmental factors such as species selection, field management practices, weather conditions, and soils, and each of those choices or settings have the potential to affect the soil microbiome associated with the strategy. This Special Issue will address soil microbiome responses under cover cropping in a variety of agricultural settings, filling a critical gap in knowledge. The selected papers will provide insights on whether cover cropping can be promoted as a strategy to enhance agricultural sustainability driven by biodiversity and targeted management of the soil microbiome. 

Dr. María Bonita Villamil
Dr. María Zabaloy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microbe-plant interaction
  • metagenome
  • soil health
  • microbial diversity
  • microbial activity
  • fertilization
  • tillage
  • planting time
  • suppression methods
  • suppression time
  • crop rotations
  • organic production

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1856 KiB  
Article
Rhizospheric Microbiome Responses to Cover Crop Suppression Methods
by Marianela E. Morales, Marco Allegrini, Gastón A. Iocoli, Jessica Basualdo, María B. Villamil and María C. Zabaloy
Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2246; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12102246 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1515
Abstract
Although winter cover crops (WCCs) have demonstrated positive effects on soil properties, relatively little is known about the responses of the soil and plant microbiomes to the introduction of WCCs and their associated management. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of WCC [...] Read more.
Although winter cover crops (WCCs) have demonstrated positive effects on soil properties, relatively little is known about the responses of the soil and plant microbiomes to the introduction of WCCs and their associated management. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of WCC suppression methods on the rhizosphere microbiome of oats under field conditions. Rhizospheric soil was extracted to quantify the abundances of amoA gene of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea, and nitrite reductase genes (nirK and nirS), and to determine potential nitrification activity. The bacterial 16S rRNA V4 region and fungal ITS regions were sequenced with the Illumina MiSeq system. Overall, our results indicated that the composition of the bacterial and fungal communities of the rhizosphere were sensitive to the WCC suppression methods. Some bacterial genera, including fungal antagonists and chitin degraders, and two fungi associated with plant potential pathogens, were favored by both suppression methods, yet both methods negatively affected other genera associated with plant growth promotion characteristics. Our work contributes to a more complete understanding of the interactions between WCC management practices, soil properties, and microbial communities in the rhizosphere, which is essential for choosing management strategies that maintain soil health and promote environmental sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cover Crops Contributions to Soil Health)
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25 pages, 2691 KiB  
Article
High-Resolution Indicators of Soil Microbial Responses to N Fertilization and Cover Cropping in Corn Monocultures
by Nakian Kim, Chance W. Riggins, María C. Zabaloy, Marco Allegrini, Sandra L. Rodriguez-Zas and María B. Villamil
Agronomy 2022, 12(4), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040954 - 15 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3685
Abstract
Cover cropping (CC) is the most promising in-field practice to improve soil health and mitigate N losses from fertilizer use. Although the soil microbiota play essential roles in soil health, their response to CC has not been well characterized by bioindicators of high [...] Read more.
Cover cropping (CC) is the most promising in-field practice to improve soil health and mitigate N losses from fertilizer use. Although the soil microbiota play essential roles in soil health, their response to CC has not been well characterized by bioindicators of high taxonomic resolution within typical agricultural systems. Our objective was to fill this knowledge gap with genus-level indicators for corn [Zea mays L.] monocultures with three N fertilizer rates (N0, N202, N269; kg N ha−1), after introducing a CC mixture of cereal rye [Secale cereale L.] and hairy vetch [Vicia villosa Roth.], using winter fallows (BF) as controls. A 3 × 2 split-plot arrangement of N rates and CC treatments was studied in a randomized complete block design with three replicates over two years. Bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA and fungal ITS regions were sequenced with Illumina MiSeq system. Overall, our high-resolution bioindicators were able to represent specific functional or ecological shifts within the microbial community. The abundances of indicators representing acidophiles, nitrifiers, and denitrifiers increased with N fertilization, while those of heterotrophic nitrifiers, nitrite oxidizers, and complete denitrifiers increased with N0. Introducing CC decreased soil nitrate levels by up to 50% across N rates, and CC biomass increased by 73% with N fertilization. CC promoted indicators of diverse functions and niches, including N-fixers, nitrite reducers, and mycorrhizae, while only two N-cycling genera were associated with BF. Thus, CC can enhance the soil biodiversity of simplified cropping systems and reduce nitrate leaching, but might increase the risk of nitrous oxide emission without proper nutrient management. This primary information is the first of its kind in this system and provided valuable insights into the limits and potential of CC as a strategy to improve soil health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cover Crops Contributions to Soil Health)
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