Cover Crops Enhance Soil Properties in Arid Agroecosystem despite Limited Irrigation

Cover crops (CCs) can enhance the sustainability and resiliency of agroecosystems by providing multiple ecosystem benefits, including soil quality improvement. However, in areas with limited precipitation such as southwestern USA, cover cropping is challenging. With water, it may be difficult to raise for realizing benefits. Research was conducted at two sites New Mexico over years determine if CC under irrigation could produce enough biomass improve quality. Treatments included a fallow (control) monocultures barley (Hordeum vulgare), Austrian winter peas (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense), mustard (Brassica rapa, var. Caliente 199), three-way mixture these species, grown three different regimes. The results indicate that improvement measurements CCs one supplemental were comparable those irrigations. All treatments improved dry aggregate size distribution from 2018 2020. At end study, MWD aggregates higher (3.26 mm) all than fallows (2.43 site, but second mix fallows. Wet stability increased 19% between 2020 site. Pea plots needed about 23 kg ha−1 less N fertilizer sweet corn production compared treatment This suggests successfully water availability irrigated arid systems while still improving