Abstract
Kura clover ( Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) living mulch has potential to improve the environmental impact of corn ( Zea mays L.) production, especially in the context of corn silage or stover harvest. Our objective was to determine the effects of kura clover living mulch on the water balance and nitrate leaching under corn near Arlington, WI. Treatments in the 2.5‐yr experiment (April 2006–November 2008) were N‐fertilized no‐till corn following killed kura clover as the control and no‐till corn in living mulch with fertilizer rates of 0 and 90 kg N ha −1 yr −1 Soil water storage was 37 to 50 mm lower under the living mulch than the control in the spring, while the control experienced 29 to 36 mm greater soil water depletion than the living mulch in the summer. Evapotranspiration was similar across treatments, except in May when it was greater under the living mulch by 11 to 41 mm. The living mulch did not appreciably reduce drainage. Nitrate‐N storage in the soil profile and nitrate‐N concentrations in the soil solution at 1‐m depth were significantly reduced ( p = 0.10) under both living mulch treatments relative to the control. Flow‐weighted nitrate‐N concentrations were 23 mg L −1 for the control, 17 mg L −1 for the living mulch with 90 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , and 6 mg L −1 for the living mulch with 0 kg N ha −1 yr −1 Total nitrate‐N leached was reduced 31 and 74% relative to the control under the living mulch with 90 and 0 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , respectively.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Spring soil water storage was 37 to 50 mm lower under living mulch than control.
- Taxon
- Corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Treatment
- living mulche0
- Outcome
- Soil water storagee0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Value
- 37 to 50 mme0
- Qualifier
- in the springe0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil water storage was 37 to 50 mm lower under the living mulch than the control in the spring”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Summer soil water depletion was 29 to 36 mm greater under control than living mulch.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- living mulche0
- Outcome
- soil water depletione0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Value
- 29 to 36 mme0
- Qualifier
- in the summere0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the control experienced 29 to 36 mm greater soil water depletion than the living mulch in the summer”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Evapotranspiration was similar across treatments except in May.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Evapotranspiratione0
- Direction
- similare0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Evapotranspiration was similar across treatments, except in May”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
May evapotranspiration was 11 to 41 mm greater under living mulch.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- living mulche0
- Outcome
- Evapotranspiratione1
- Direction
- greatere0
- Value
- 11 to 41 mme0
- Comparator
- treatmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in May when it was greater under the living mulch by 11 to 41 mm”
e1“Evapotranspiration was similar across treatments”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Living mulch did not appreciably reduce drainage.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- living mulche0
- Outcome
- drainagee0
- Direction
- did not appreciably reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The living mulch did not appreciably reduce drainage”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Both living mulch treatments significantly reduced soil-profile nitrate-N storage versus control.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- both living mulch treatmentse0
- Outcome
- Nitrate‐N storage in the soil profilee0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrate‐N storage in the soil profile and nitrate‐N concentrations in the soil solution at 1‐m depth were significantly reduced ( p = 0.10) under both living mulch treatments relative to the control”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Both living mulch treatments significantly reduced nitrate-N concentration at 1 m versus control.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- both living mulch treatmentse0
- Outcome
- nitrate‐N concentrations in the soil solution at 1‐m depthe0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrate‐N storage in the soil profile and nitrate‐N concentrations in the soil solution at 1‐m depth were significantly reduced ( p = 0.10) under both living mulch treatments relative to the control”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Flow-weighted nitrate-N concentration under control was 23 mg L−1.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- controle0
- Outcome
- Flow‐weighted nitrate‐N concentrationse0
- Value
- 23 mg L −1e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Flow‐weighted nitrate‐N concentrations were 23 mg L −1 for the control”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Flow-weighted nitrate-N concentration with 90 kg N living mulch was 17 mg L−1.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- living mulch with 90 kg N ha −1 yr −1e0
- Outcome
- Flow‐weighted nitrate‐N concentrationse1
- Value
- 17 mg L −1e0
- Comparator
- controle1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“17 mg L −1 for the living mulch with 90 kg N ha −1 yr −1”
e1“Flow‐weighted nitrate‐N concentrations were 23 mg L −1 for the control”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Flow-weighted nitrate-N concentration with zero-N living mulch was 6 mg L−1.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- living mulch with 0 kg N ha −1 yr −1e0
- Outcome
- Flow‐weighted nitrate‐N concentrationse1
- Value
- 6 mg L −1e0
- Comparator
- controle1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“6 mg L −1 for the living mulch with 0 kg N ha −1 yr −1”
e1“Flow‐weighted nitrate‐N concentrations were 23 mg L −1 for the control”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Total nitrate-N leached fell 31% with 90 kg N living mulch relative to control.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- living mulch with 90e0
- Outcome
- Total nitrate‐N leachede0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 31e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Total nitrate‐N leached was reduced 31 and 74% relative to the control under the living mulch with 90 and 0 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , respectively”
t0“Corn”
Claim · model-written summary
Total nitrate-N leached fell 74% with zero-N living mulch relative to control.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- living mulch with 90 and 0 kg N ha −1 yr −1e0
- Outcome
- Total nitrate‐N leachede0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 74%e0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Total nitrate‐N leached was reduced 31 and 74% relative to the control under the living mulch with 90 and 0 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , respectively”
t0“Corn”
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See all 489 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.