Abstract
Sustainable intensification strategies seek to increase production while decreasing the environmental footprint of agricultural systems. In the Upper Mississippi River Basin, relay cropping of a winter oilseed crop between corn and soybean has gained interest for its potential to increase total yields and revenue while providing the environmental benefits of winter cover. In a six-year field study in central Iowa, a basic corn-soybean rotation was compared with a corn-winter camelina-soybean relay cropping system for crop yields, nitrate losses in drainage, and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil. Despite filling a niche as an overwintering crop with the potential to assimilate soil nitrogen, nitrate loads in drainage were not reduced in the camelina relay cropping system. Over the course of the study, management changes to support the camelina crop tripled cumulative N2O emissions during the camelina-soybean phase, from 3.57 kg N2O-N ha-1 in the basic corn-soybean rotation to 12.2 kg N2O-N ha-1 in the camelina relay system. Most of the increased emissions in the camelina system were associated with peak emissions events following tillage and starter fertilizer application in the fall and during the spring thaw, which may point to risks of exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions during fall management of a relay crop. Corn and soybean yields were decreased in the relay cropping system by 9.8 % and 23.3 %, respectively, as a result of management changes to the system and interspecific competition. However, combined grain dry weight of soybean and the camelina oilseed crop were similar to the soybean yield in the basic corn-soybean rotation. These findings highlight the need for careful evaluation and optimization of sustainable intensification systems to ensure environmental and production goals are met.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Camelina relay cropping did not reduce nitrate loads in drainage.
CamelinaNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“nitrate loads in drainage were not reduced in the camelina relay cropping system”
t0“winter camelina”
Claim · model-written summary
Management supporting camelina tripled cumulative N2O emissions during the camelina-soybean phase, from 3.57 to 12.2 kg N2O-N ha-1.
- Treatment
- camelina relay systeme0
- Outcome
- cumulative N2O emissionse0
- Direction
- triplede0
- Value
- 12.2 kg N2O-N ha-1e0
- Qualifier
- 3.57 kg N2O-N ha-1e0
- Comparator
- basic corn-soybean rotatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“management changes to support the camelina crop tripled cumulative N2O emissions during the camelina-soybean phase, from 3.57 kg N2O-N ha-1 in the basic corn-soybean rotation to 12.2 kg N2O-N ha-1 in the camelina relay system”
Claim · model-written summary
Peak emissions in the camelina system followed fall tillage and starter fertilizer application.
- Treatment
- tillage and starter fertilizer applicatione0
- Outcome
- increased emissionse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Most of the increased emissions in the camelina system were associated with peak emissions events following tillage and starter fertilizer application in the fall”
Claim · model-written summary
Peak emissions in the camelina system were also associated with spring thaw.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Most of the increased emissions in the camelina system were associated with peak emissions events following tillage and starter fertilizer application in the fall and during the spring thaw”
Claim · model-written summary
Corn yield fell 9.8% in the relay system.
- Taxon
- Corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse0 - Treatment
- relay cropping systeme0
- Outcome
- Corne0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 9.8 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Corn and soybean yields were decreased in the relay cropping system by 9.8 % and 23.3 %, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Soybean yield fell 23.3% in the relay system.
- Taxon
- soybean
Glycine maxe0 - Treatment
- relay cropping systeme0
- Outcome
- soybean yieldse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Value
- 23.3 %e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Corn and soybean yields were decreased in the relay cropping system by 9.8 % and 23.3 %, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Combined soybean and camelina grain dry weight was similar to soybean yield in the basic rotation.
- Taxon
- soybeanGlycine maxe0
- Treatment
- camelina oilseed crope0
- Outcome
- combined grain dry weight of soybean and the camelina oilseed crope0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- basic corn-soybean rotatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“combined grain dry weight of soybean and the camelina oilseed crop were similar to the soybean yield in the basic corn-soybean rotation”
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