Summary
This field study evaluated how cover crop species selection and nitrogen application timing influence soil microbial communities and maize productivity in tropical no-till systems. Palisade grass maintained stable and diverse microbial communities regardless of nitrogen timing, while ruzigrass showed reduced bacterial and fungal diversity when nitrogen was applied to live plants or at maize V4 stage. The findings suggest palisade grass is the more resilient cover crop choice for enhancing both soil health and productivity in cover crop–maize rotations.
Regional applicability
This research was conducted in Brazil's tropical conditions and may have limited direct applicability to United Kingdom temperate agroecosystems, which differ substantially in climate, soil types, and microbial communities. However, the methodological approach to assessing microbiome responses to management practices and the principles underlying cover crop selection could inform UK regenerative farming research and practice.
Key measures
Soil bacterial and fungal alpha diversity; bacterial and fungal community composition; total bacteria and archaea abundance; soil nutrients; C:N ratio; maize grain yield
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil bacterial and fungal community diversity, composition, and abundance; soil chemical properties; and maize productivity under different cover crop species (palisade grass vs. ruzigrass) and nitrogen application timings (live cover crop, straw phase, or maize V4 stage).
Topic tags
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