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Cover crops reduce sediment loss and total phosphorus (P) loss from no-till corn and soybean fields, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Management. However, researchers say banding P, rather than broadcasting it, is still a better strategy to reduce potential P loss.
This study examined the impacts of P fertilizer management (no P, fall broadcast P and spring injected P) and cover crop use on annual concentrations and loads of sediment, total P and dissolved reactive P (DRP) in edge-of-field runoff from a no-till corn-soybean rotation in the central Great Plains from September 2015 through September 2019.
Highlights of the study:
Phosphorus fertilizer management practice by harvest year interaction (a, c) and cover crop by harvest year interaction (b, d) on flow-weighted annual average total phosphorus concentration in surface runoff and total phosphorus load in runoff. Abbreviations include: control (CN), fall broadcast (FB), and spring injected (SI). Letters represent between treatments within indicated harvest year at p < 0.05 and error bars represent the standard error of the mean.
Overall, the study found that addition of a cover crop did not negate the potential negative impacts of broadcast P fertilizer application, suggesting that, although broadcast fertilizer application may offer producers a variety of advantages over sub-surface application, placing P fertilizer below the soil surface is a better option for reducing potential P loss compared to broadcast application with a cover crop.
To see the full results and read the report, visit this link.
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Cover Crops Reduce Sediment, Phosphorus Loss in No-Till Corn … – No-Till Farmer
