LB 1-7 - Topography and soils influence on cover crop biomass

Winter cover crops are a critical conservation practice to improve ecosystem services in croplands. Cover crop biomass can retain nitrogen that might otherwise be lost over winter and spring months, and nitrogen can become available for the subsequent cash crop as terminated cover crops decompose. This project aims to uncover key sources of spatial heterogeneity in cover crop performance to inform models that optimize variable nitrogen fertilizer application rates across fields. We explore the ability of topography and soil survey (SSURGO) data in explaining variation in remotely-sensed cover crop data from the Choptank watershed in the Delmarva peninsula. Findings from this project will be used to inform decision support tools for farmers through the Precision Sustainable Agriculture network. Reducing synthetic N fertilizer use through improved management of cover crops can reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of and nutrient losses from large-scale row crop agriculture.