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Nitrogen (N) transformation in soils is crucial in determining N availability for plant growth. Row crop producers have widely adopted cover crops across the U.S. However, there is limited knowledge about N transformations in commercial fields with and without cover crops. Furthermore, there is lack of understanding about the spatial variability of potential N mineralization in row crops and how it varies within a field and between cropping systems. An in-situ mineralization study was conducted in two Alabama row crop farms to evaluate the variability of potential N mineralization across locations and within a farm. The results revealed the variability in N mineralization within farms at both the locations. It was reported that a farm with cover crop and residue retention history had a mineralization rate of 1.18 to 3.89 lb/acre/day. In contrast, another farm with no cover crop had a mineralization potential of 0.93 to 1.17 lb/acre/day. These findings underscore the importance of cover crops and residue retention for enhancing N mineralization potential.
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Modeling Hawaiian Agroecology: Depicting traditional adaptation to the world's most diverse environment
Most neglected and underutilized crops were developed and utilized within indigenous agroecological cropping systems. While crop suitability must consider the constraints of the environment, the conditions of agroecological systems and the role of crops within those systems should be considered. Such consideration may guide the implementation of appropriate farming systems specific to different ecosystems and microhabitats. Using the Hawaiian archipelago as a model system of socioecological dynamics, we consider the distribution of agroecological systems and their associated crops to explore how agroecological suitability changes across climate, topography, and soils. We conduct spatial modeling of the potential nature and extent of seven agroecological archetypes based on historical records. The seven spatial models of pre-colonial agroecological systems produced extents distributed across much of the Hawaiian archipelago, with clear adaptive patterns within and across the islands. The distribution of cropping system further affects the appropriateness of crop species application. We argue that the consideration of agroecological niches and associated cropping systems is critical for realizing the potential of underutilized crops and improving the efficiency of contemporary agricultural systems.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1941595
- PAR ID:
- 10406436
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
- Volume:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 2571-581X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1116929
