Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs
While it is crucial to consider the ecological trade-offs of cover crop effects to promote sustainable agricultural production, there has been limited analysis of the combined effects of cover crops on various ecosystem services. For this purpose, we synthesized 43 meta-analysis and review studies c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2024.2335106 |
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| author | Maryam Yousefi Anne Dray Jaboury Ghazoul |
| author_facet | Maryam Yousefi Anne Dray Jaboury Ghazoul |
| author_sort | Maryam Yousefi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While it is crucial to consider the ecological trade-offs of cover crop effects to promote sustainable agricultural production, there has been limited analysis of the combined effects of cover crops on various ecosystem services. For this purpose, we synthesized 43 meta-analysis and review studies comparing cover crops to monocropping in order to investigate benefits, challenges, and trade-offs among ecosystem services under cover crop implementation. We summarized the current state of knowledge of cover crops effectiveness across 11 ecosystem services in three categories (regulating, provisioning and supporting). We identified the factors influencing the relative benefits and risks of integrating cover crops into crop production systems. These factors include farm practices, planting and termination season, species of cover and main crop, climatic zone and soil properties, cover crop biomass, and residue management. Our findings highlight that compared to monocropping, in general, cover cropping enhances soil biodiversity and nutrient cycling, prevents runoff and Nitrogen leaching, improves soil physical properties and carbon sequestration over the long term, and suppresses pests and weeds. However, trade-offs comprise inconsistencies in primary crop yields and soil water provision. Overall, our result highlighted that a multifunctional cover crop implementation provides substantially more regulating and supporting than other ecosystem services. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a80207ce6727444f88864c5b191c67c0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1473-5903 1747-762X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-a80207ce6727444f88864c5b191c67c02025-01-06T14:27:41ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Agricultural Sustainability1473-59031747-762X2024-12-0122110.1080/14735903.2024.2335106Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offsMaryam Yousefi0Anne Dray1Jaboury Ghazoul2Ecosystem Management, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zürich, SwitzerlandEcosystem Management, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zürich, SwitzerlandEcosystem Management, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zürich, SwitzerlandWhile it is crucial to consider the ecological trade-offs of cover crop effects to promote sustainable agricultural production, there has been limited analysis of the combined effects of cover crops on various ecosystem services. For this purpose, we synthesized 43 meta-analysis and review studies comparing cover crops to monocropping in order to investigate benefits, challenges, and trade-offs among ecosystem services under cover crop implementation. We summarized the current state of knowledge of cover crops effectiveness across 11 ecosystem services in three categories (regulating, provisioning and supporting). We identified the factors influencing the relative benefits and risks of integrating cover crops into crop production systems. These factors include farm practices, planting and termination season, species of cover and main crop, climatic zone and soil properties, cover crop biomass, and residue management. Our findings highlight that compared to monocropping, in general, cover cropping enhances soil biodiversity and nutrient cycling, prevents runoff and Nitrogen leaching, improves soil physical properties and carbon sequestration over the long term, and suppresses pests and weeds. However, trade-offs comprise inconsistencies in primary crop yields and soil water provision. Overall, our result highlighted that a multifunctional cover crop implementation provides substantially more regulating and supporting than other ecosystem services.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2024.2335106Green manureagricultural practicessustainable agriculturediversified farmingliving mulchconservation agriculture |
| spellingShingle | Maryam Yousefi Anne Dray Jaboury Ghazoul Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability Green manure agricultural practices sustainable agriculture diversified farming living mulch conservation agriculture |
| title | Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs |
| title_full | Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs |
| title_short | Assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services: a review of the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs |
| title_sort | assessing the effectiveness of cover crops on ecosystem services a review of the benefits challenges and trade offs |
| topic | Green manure agricultural practices sustainable agriculture diversified farming living mulch conservation agriculture |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14735903.2024.2335106 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maryamyousefi assessingtheeffectivenessofcovercropsonecosystemservicesareviewofthebenefitschallengesandtradeoffs AT annedray assessingtheeffectivenessofcovercropsonecosystemservicesareviewofthebenefitschallengesandtradeoffs AT jabouryghazoul assessingtheeffectivenessofcovercropsonecosystemservicesareviewofthebenefitschallengesandtradeoffs |