Improving soil health indicators in row crop systems through cover cropping, no-till management, and crop rotation

Authors: Tyler, Heather; Mubvumba, Partson; Locke, Martin; Reddy, Krishna

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/11/2025
Publication Date: 10/11/2025
Citation: Tyler, H.L., Mubvumba, P., Locke, M.A., Reddy, K.N. 2025. Improving soil health indicators in row crop systems through cover cropping, no-till management, and crop rotation. Agronomy Journal. Volume117, Issue5. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70185.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70185

Interpretive Summary: Conventional agricultural practices used in the production of crops like cotton can deplete soil of nutrients and increase erosion. Conservation practices such as planting winter cover crops, no-till management, and crop rotation can help reduce these negative effects while also enhancing the size and activity of microbial communities in the soil involved in nutrient cycling. However, these practices can cost more to implement while having inconsistent effects on crop yield. Scientists from the USDA-ARS Crop Productions Systems Research Unit in Stoneville, MS and the National Sedimentation Laboratory in Oxford, MS conducted a four-year field study examining the effects of twelve different combinations of conventional and conservation practices on soil nutrient levels, microbial activity, and crop yield in cotton and sorghum production systems. Cover cropping with winter pea had the most consistent benefits to soil health, resulting in higher soil organic carbon, nitrogen, microbial biomass, and activities linked to organic matter processing and phosphate mineralization. Monoculture sorghum and a cotton-sorghum rotation also increased microbial biomass and some soil activities compared to monoculture cotton. Both cover cropping and rotation consistently improved sorghum yield while the benefits to cotton yield were inconsistent. Meanwhile, no-till management had only minimal effects on soil health and no impact on cotton or sorghum yield. This study demonstrates how increasing the diversity of plants in cropping systems, by either winter cover cropping or summer crop rotation, is more effective at improving soil health and crop yield than no-till management. These results will be helpful to guide decisions on what conservation practices to employ to improve soil health without decreasing yields.

Technical Abstract: Conservation management practices have the potential to mitigate the negative impacts of conventional row crop agriculture on soil health. However, these practices can increase costs without consistent improvements in yield. A field study was conducted to evaluate the sustainability of different combinations of conservation practices to mitigate negative effects on soil health while maintaining crop productivity in the Mississippi Delta. Treatments included all combinations of: 1) till or no-till, 2) winter cover crop (CC; winter pea; Pisum sativum var. arvense) or no cover crop (NC), and 3) monoculture cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), monoculture sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), or cotton-sorghum (CotSor) rotation. After four years, CC increased soil organic matter by 12% and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) by 16% compared to NC soil, as well as enhancing activities linked with organic matter breakdown, P-cycling, and general hydrolytic activity. Monoculture sorghum and CotSor rotation also had higher MBC and soil activities compared to cotton monoculture. Both CC and rotation consistently increased sorghum yield, while CC effects on cotton yield were inconsistent, and tillage had no impact on yield. Incorporating sorghum in rotation or adding a winter cover cropping are both viable options for alleviating the deleterious effects of cotton on the amount and size of microorganisms in field soils. These results suggest that sorghum is more responsive to conservation management practices than cotton, and that increasing plant diversity in cropping systems, either by winter cover cropping or summer crop rotation, can enhance soil health and produce yield benefits in select crops.