Summary
This field study, conducted on the Loess Plateau of China from 2016–2018, investigated how intercropping cocksfoot as a cover crop affects soil water balance and evapotranspiration processes in apple orchards, alongside impacts on system productivity. The research compared clean tillage with cocksfoot strip management to assess whether cover cropping can sustain soil water availability whilst delivering additional forage production and erosion control. The findings are expected to inform soil and water management practices in semi-arid orchard systems where water scarcity is a constraint.
UK applicability
The study's findings on cover crop water dynamics and soil conservation may have limited direct applicability to UK apple orchards, which typically operate under higher rainfall and different soil conditions than the Loess Plateau. However, the methodology for partitioning evapotranspiration and assessing cover crop impacts on water balance could inform research into cover cropping benefits in drier regions of the UK or under projected drier climate scenarios.
Key measures
Soil water content, evapotranspiration (ET), ET partitioning (plant transpiration vs. soil evaporation), apple yield, forage production, and soil water sustainability indicators
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil water balance, evapotranspiration partitioning, and system production (apple yield and forage yield) under different cocksfoot cover crop management regimes in an apple orchard over three growing seasons.
Topic tags
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