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Cover crop can offset negative effects of corn silage harvest on soils in a corn silage–soybean rotation.

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Title: Cover crop can offset negative effects of corn silage harvest on soils in a corn silage–soybean rotation.
Authors: Ruis, Sabrina J.1 (AUTHOR) sabrina.ruis@usda.gov, O'Brien, Peter L.1 (AUTHOR), Crespo, Cecilia1,2 (AUTHOR), Kaspar, Thomas C.1 (AUTHOR), Kovar, John L.1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Soil Science Society of America Journal. Mar2026, Vol. 90 Issue 2, p1-15. 15p.
Subjects: Catch crops, Rye, Crop yields, Crop rotation, Soil degradation, Soil microbial ecology, Soil fertility, Feed corn silage
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Harvesting corn (Zea mays L.) as silage is an important component of many livestock operations but can lead to soil degradation without support practices like cover crops (CCs). However, long‐term research investigating the effects of such combination of practices on soils is minimal. We assessed (1) the impact of a winter rye (Secale cereale L.) CC following corn silage (CS + CC) on dynamic soil biological, chemical, and physical health indicators in a no‐till corn–soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation compared with corn silage no cover crop (CS + NCC) after 21 years of management, (2) if soil health under CS + CC was similar to corn grain no CC (CG + NCC), and (3) whether any effects of CS + NCC existed following both rotation phases in a US Midwest Mollisol. CS + CC increased soil microbial biomass and activity, labile and total C and N concentrations, and aggregation compared with CS + NCC due to greater biomass input. In both rotation phases, CS + CC had no effect on most biological and chemical properties compared with CG + NCC. As expected, CS + NCC negatively affected soil biological properties and organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations compared with CG + NCC, which persisted in both crop phases. Treatment effects on soil properties were few below 5 cm. The CC did not affect crop yields across years, but crop yields were positively correlated with some soil properties. Overall, a winter rye CC following corn silage can maintain many soil properties at levels similar to corn grain without negatively impacting yields, unlike CS + NCC, in this US Midwest Mollisol. Core Ideas: Corn silage with cover crop (CS + CC) improved soil biological properties and aggregation, but few chemical properties relative to no CC.Soil properties did not generally differ between CS + CC and corn grain no CC regardless of crop phase.Negative effects of corn silage existed following both phases of the rotation for many soil properties.Rye CC following corn silage had 1–2 Mg ha−1 greater biomass than after corn grain or soybean.Rye CC did not negatively affect crop yields and yields were positively correlated with some soil properties. Plain Language Summary: Harvest of corn as silage is a key component of many animal operations. The lack of residue cover following harvest often leads to degradation of soils. Pairing corn silage harvest with a cover crop could offset soil degradation, but long‐term data are few. We studied the impact of corn silage and corn grain with and without a winter rye cover crop on soil health indicators and function after 21 years of management in a highly productive soil of the central United States. Corn silage with a cover crop improved many soil properties compared with corn silage without a cover crop. Silage with a cover crop also had soil property levels similar to corn grain in most of the measured soil properties. Higher crop yields were linked with improvements in soil microbial biomass and activity and organic matter level. This work highlights that CCs can support soil health in the long term while sustaining crop yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
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Abstract:Harvesting corn (Zea mays L.) as silage is an important component of many livestock operations but can lead to soil degradation without support practices like cover crops (CCs). However, long‐term research investigating the effects of such combination of practices on soils is minimal. We assessed (1) the impact of a winter rye (Secale cereale L.) CC following corn silage (CS + CC) on dynamic soil biological, chemical, and physical health indicators in a no‐till corn–soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation compared with corn silage no cover crop (CS + NCC) after 21 years of management, (2) if soil health under CS + CC was similar to corn grain no CC (CG + NCC), and (3) whether any effects of CS + NCC existed following both rotation phases in a US Midwest Mollisol. CS + CC increased soil microbial biomass and activity, labile and total C and N concentrations, and aggregation compared with CS + NCC due to greater biomass input. In both rotation phases, CS + CC had no effect on most biological and chemical properties compared with CG + NCC. As expected, CS + NCC negatively affected soil biological properties and organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations compared with CG + NCC, which persisted in both crop phases. Treatment effects on soil properties were few below 5 cm. The CC did not affect crop yields across years, but crop yields were positively correlated with some soil properties. Overall, a winter rye CC following corn silage can maintain many soil properties at levels similar to corn grain without negatively impacting yields, unlike CS + NCC, in this US Midwest Mollisol. Core Ideas: Corn silage with cover crop (CS + CC) improved soil biological properties and aggregation, but few chemical properties relative to no CC.Soil properties did not generally differ between CS + CC and corn grain no CC regardless of crop phase.Negative effects of corn silage existed following both phases of the rotation for many soil properties.Rye CC following corn silage had 1–2 Mg ha−1 greater biomass than after corn grain or soybean.Rye CC did not negatively affect crop yields and yields were positively correlated with some soil properties. Plain Language Summary: Harvest of corn as silage is a key component of many animal operations. The lack of residue cover following harvest often leads to degradation of soils. Pairing corn silage harvest with a cover crop could offset soil degradation, but long‐term data are few. We studied the impact of corn silage and corn grain with and without a winter rye cover crop on soil health indicators and function after 21 years of management in a highly productive soil of the central United States. Corn silage with a cover crop improved many soil properties compared with corn silage without a cover crop. Silage with a cover crop also had soil property levels similar to corn grain in most of the measured soil properties. Higher crop yields were linked with improvements in soil microbial biomass and activity and organic matter level. This work highlights that CCs can support soil health in the long term while sustaining crop yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:03615995
DOI:10.1002/saj2.70211