Recent cover crop adoption is associated with small maize and soybean yield losses in the United States.

ABSTRACT: Cover crops are gaining traction in many agricultural regions, partly driven by increased public subsidies and by private markets for ecosystem services. These payments are motivated by environmental benefits, including improved soil health, reduced erosion, and increased soil organic carbon. However, previous work based on experimental plots or crop modeling indicates cover crops may reduce crop yields. It remains unclear, though, how recent cover crop adoption has affected productivity in commercial agricultural systems. Here we perform the first large-scale, field-level analysis of observed yield impacts from cover cropping as implemented across the US Corn Belt. We use validated satellite data products at sub-field scales to analyze maize and soybean yield outcomes for over 90,000 fiel

SUBMITTER: Deines JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10099706 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature