Abstract
Shifting from reduced tillage (RT) to no-till (NT) often reduces phosphorus (P) runoff by minimizing soil erosion. However, it might increase nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions or nitrate-N (NO 3 -N) leaching. Including a legume cover crop such as hairy vetch ( Vicia villosa L.) before corn ( Zea mays L.) is a common practice among growers in the Midwest USA. However, the effects of hairy vetch following soybean ( Glycine max L.) harvest on NO 3 -N leaching and N 2 O emissions during the following corn season in soil with clay and fragipans are less assessed. This study evaluated the influence of cover crop (hairy vetch vs. no-CC control) and tillage systems (NT vs. RT) when 179 kg ha −1 nitrogen (N) was applied at planting on (i) corn yield, N uptake, removal, and balance; (ii) N 2 O emissions and NO 3 -N leaching; (iii) yield-scaled N 2 O emissions and NO 3 -N leaching during two corn growing seasons. We also evaluated factors influencing N 2 O emissions and NO 3 -N leaching via principal component analysis. Corn grain yield was higher in RT (8.4 Mg ha −1 ) than NT (6.2 Mg ha −1 ), reflecting more available N in the soil in RT than NT, possibly due to the favorable aeration and increased soil temperature in deeper soil layers resulting from tillage. Hairy vetch increased corn grain yield and soil N. However, it led to higher losses of both N 2 O-N and NO 3 -N, indicating that increased corn grain yield, due to the hairy vetch’s N contribution, also resulted in higher N losses. Yield-scaled N 2 O-N emissions in NT-2019 (3696.4 g N 2 O-N Mg −1 ) were twofold higher than RT-2019 (1872.7 g N 2 O-N Mg −1 ) and almost fourfold higher than NT-2021 and RT-2021 indicating in a wet year like 2019, yield-scaled N 2 O-N emissions were higher in NT than RT. Principal component analysis indicated that NO 3 -N leaching was most correlated with soil N availability and corn grain yield (both positive correlations). In contrast, due to the continued presence of soil N, soil N 2 O-N fluxes were more driven by soil volumetric water content (VWC) with a positive correlation. We conclude that in soils with claypan and fragipans in humid climates, NT is not an effective strategy to decrease N 2 O-N fluxes. Hairy vetch benefits corn grain yield and supplements N but increases N loss through NO 3 -N leaching and N 2 O-N emissions.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced tillage produced higher corn yield than no till, 8.4 versus 6.2 Mg ha−1.
- Taxon
- Corn
Zea mays subsp. mayse0 - Treatment
- RTe0
- Outcome
- Corn grain yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 8.4 Mg ha −1e0
- Qualifier
- 6.2 Mg ha −1e0
- Comparator
- NTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Corn grain yield was higher in RT (8.4 Mg ha −1 ) than NT (6.2 Mg ha −1 )”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced tillage had more available soil N than no till.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- RTe0
- Outcome
- available N in the soile0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- NTe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“more available N in the soil in RT than NT”
t0“corn growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Hairy vetch increased corn grain yield.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Treatment
- Hairy vetche0
- Outcome
- corn grain yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Hairy vetch increased corn grain yield and soil N”
Claim · model-written summary
Hairy vetch increased soil N.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Hairy vetche0
- Outcome
- soil Ne0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Hairy vetch increased corn grain yield and soil N”
t0“corn growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Hairy vetch raised N2O-N losses.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Hairy vetcht0
- Outcome
- N 2 O-Ne0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it led to higher losses of both N 2 O-N and NO 3 -N”
t0“Hairy vetch influence on nitrous oxide and nitrate leaching losses during corn growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Hairy vetch raised NO3-N losses.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Hairy vetcht0
- Outcome
- NO 3 -Ne0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it led to higher losses of both N 2 O-N and NO 3 -N”
t0“Hairy vetch influence on nitrous oxide and nitrate leaching losses during corn growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield-scaled N2O-N emissions in NT-2019 were twofold higher than RT-2019.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- NT-2019e0
- Outcome
- Yield-scaled N 2 O-N emissionse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 3696.4 g N 2 O-N Mg −1e0
- Qualifier
- 1872.7 g N 2 O-N Mg −1e0
- Comparator
- RT-2019e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Yield-scaled N 2 O-N emissions in NT-2019 (3696.4 g N 2 O-N Mg −1 ) were twofold higher than RT-2019 (1872.7 g N 2 O-N Mg −1 )”
t0“corn growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
NT-2019 yield-scaled N2O-N emissions were almost fourfold higher than NT-2021 and RT-2021.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- no-tillt0
- Outcome
- fourfold highere0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- fourfolde0
- Comparator
- NT-2021 and RT-2021e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“almost fourfold higher than NT-2021 and RT-2021”
t0“corn growing seasons in reduced and no-till systems”
Claim · model-written summary
NO3-N leaching correlated positively with soil N availability.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Outcome
- NO 3 -N leachinge0
- Direction
- positive correlationse0
- Setting
- soil N availabilitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NO 3 -N leaching was most correlated with soil N availability and corn grain yield (both positive correlations)”
Claim · model-written summary
NO3-N leaching correlated positively with corn grain yield.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayse0
- Organ / stage
- corn graine0
- Outcome
- NO 3 -N leachinge0
- Direction
- positive correlationse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“NO 3 -N leaching was most correlated with soil N availability and corn grain yield (both positive correlations)”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil N2O-N fluxes correlated positively with volumetric water content.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- soil N 2 O-N fluxese0
- Direction
- positive correlatione0
- Setting
- soil volumetric water content (VWC)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil N 2 O-N fluxes were more driven by soil volumetric water content (VWC) with a positive correlation”
t0“corn growing seasons”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors conclude no till is ineffective at decreasing N2O-N fluxes in claypan and fragipan soils.
- Taxon
- cornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- NT is not an effective strategy to decrease N 2 O-N fluxese0
- Setting
- soils with claypan and fragipans in humid climatese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in soils with claypan and fragipans in humid climates, NT is not an effective strategy to decrease N 2 O-N fluxes”
t0“corn growing seasons”
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