A legume-grass cover crop builds mineral-associated organic matter across variable agricultural soils

Summary

This study investigates the capacity of a legume-grass cover crop mixture to build mineral-associated organic matter — a relatively stable soil carbon fraction — across agricultural soils of varying composition and properties. Published in Soil Biology and Biochemistry in 2025, the work contributes to understanding how cover crop functional diversity interacts with soil physical and chemical characteristics to drive organic matter stabilisation. The findings likely have implications for the use of cover crops as a management tool to sequester carbon and improve long-term soil health across heterogeneous landscapes.

UK applicability

Although the study appears to have been conducted in the United States, the findings are broadly applicable to UK arable systems where legume-grass cover crops are increasingly promoted under agri-environment schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive; the soil variability dimension is particularly relevant given the diversity of soil types across UK farmland.

Key measures

Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) fraction (g/kg or %); particulate organic matter (POM); soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations; potentially soil texture and clay content as covariates

Outcomes reported

The study likely measured the formation and accumulation of mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) under a legume-grass cover crop mixture across soils with varying properties. It probably assessed how cover crop identity and soil characteristics interact to influence stable carbon and nitrogen fractions.

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