On Farm Evaluation of Cover Crops for Nitrogen Management in Cotton

Within the agricultural industry, producers are always inquiring and exploring for ways to limit risk, decrease inputs and increase yield and outputs. These novel agronomic practices such as cover crop are being examined to an entirely new and different level. One aspect of cover crops which has gained popularity and is now a hot topic within the agricultural community is that of cover crops usage as a green manure and its subsequent effects on nutrient cycling, with significant regard towards legume cover crops. Legumes are known for fixing their own nitrogen when sufficiently inoculated with Rhizobacterium, thus with their senescence or termination much of this nitrogen and other nutrients are released into the soil profile and made available for the following crops. With this study, cover crops, specifically legume cover crops, were studied to see what effects they had on nutrient cycling within cotton production and supporting benefits that yielded from the usage of this agronomic practice in real world applications.