水保所知识产出(1956---)知识库

Cover cropping is practiced to enhance soil health and sustain succeeding crop yield; however, the effect of cover
crop on soil water storage, succeeding crop yield, and water-use efficiency (WUE) may not be consistent in all
regions. A meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the effect of cover crop on precipitation storage efficiency
(PSE, the percent of precipitation that is stored in the soil during the fallow period), soil water storage at suc-
ceeding crop planting (SWSP), succeeding crop yield, and WUE from data collected from 117 studies across the
world. Cover crop decreased PSE by 33.4% and soil water storage for the whole profile (SWSPT) at soil depth by
13.2%, but increased water storage to a depth of 30 cm (SWSP30) by 6.0% (P < 0.05) compared to no cover crop.
Cover crop did not affect succeeding crop yield, but decreased evapotranspiration (ET) by 6.2% and increased
WUE by 5.0% (P < 0.05) compared to no cover crop. The effect of cover crop on these parameters varied by soil
and climatic conditions of various regions. Leaving cover crop residue at the soil surface or incorporating into the
soil reduced PSE, SWSPT, and ET, but increased SWSP30 and WUE compared to residue removal. Maintaining
cover crop biomass at 5 Mg ha −1 and leaving a 20-d interval between cover crop termination and succeeding
crop planting, also enhanced PSE and SWSP30. Although cover crop had minimal impact on succeeding crop
yield, WUE of succeeding crops can be increased with cover cropping by decreasing evapotranspiration.