Uncovering the contribution of cover crop belowground inputs on soil carbon and nitrogen storage

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Increasing biodiversity and maintaining healthy soil are critical to enhancing Canadian food systems, for which cover crops may play an important role. Cover crops are plants grown in-between main crops (eg corn, soybeans, tomatoes), providing soil protection and enrichment during the fall to following spring when fields would normally be left bare. The majority of cover crop research focuses on the cover crop growing season and the following year, but growers who use cover crops do so over the long term. Moreover, changes in soil indicators, such as those affecting C and N dynamics occur over the long-term. Thus there is a significant gap in knowledge the true impact of cover crops in agroecosystems.