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A Functional Characterisation of a Wide Range of Cover Crop Species: Growth and Nitrogen Acquisition Rates, Leaf Traits and Ecological Strategies

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  • Hélène Tribouillois
  • Florian Fort
  • Pablo Cruz
  • Raphaël Charles
  • Olivier Flores
  • Eric Garnier
  • Eric Justes

Abstract

Cover crops can produce ecosystem services during the fallow period, as reducing nitrate leaching and producing green manure. Crop growth rate (CGR) and crop nitrogen acquisition rate (CNR) can be used as two indicators of the ability of cover crops to produce these services in agrosystems. We used leaf functional traits to characterise the growth strategies of 36 cover crops as an approach to assess their ability to grow and acquire N rapidly. We measured specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf nitrogen content (LNC) and leaf area (LA) and we evaluated their relevance to characterise CGR and CNR. Cover crop species were positioned along the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES), the SLA-LDMC plane, and the CSR triangle of plant strategies. LA was positively correlated with CGR and CNR, while LDMC was negatively correlated with CNR. All cover crops could be classified as resource-acquisitive species from their relative position on the LES and the SLA-LDMC plane. Most cover crops were located along the Competition/Ruderality axis in the CSR triangle. In particular, Brassicaceae species were classified as very competitive, which was consistent with their high CGR and CNR. Leaf functional traits, especially LA and LDMC, allowed to differentiate some cover crops strategies related to their ability to grow and acquire N. LDMC was lower and LNC was higher in cover crop than in wild species, pointing to an efficient acquisitive syndrome in the former, corresponding to the high resource availability found in agrosystems. Combining several leaf traits explained approximately half of the CGR and CNR variances, which might be considered insufficient to precisely characterise and rank cover crop species for agronomic purposes. We hypothesised that may be the consequence of domestication process, which has reduced the range of plant strategies and modified the leaf trait syndrome in cultivated species.

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  • Hélène Tribouillois & Florian Fort & Pablo Cruz & Raphaël Charles & Olivier Flores & Eric Garnier & Eric Justes, 2015. "A Functional Characterisation of a Wide Range of Cover Crop Species: Growth and Nitrogen Acquisition Rates, Leaf Traits and Ecological Strategies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0122156
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122156
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    1. Nadal, Miquel & Flexas, Jaume, 2019. "Variation in photosynthetic characteristics with growth form in a water-limited scenario: Implications for assimilation rates and water use efficiency in crops," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 457-472.
    2. Garba, Ismail I. & Bell, Lindsay W. & Chauhan, Bhagirath S. & Williams, Alwyn, 2024. "Optimizing ecosystem function multifunctionality with cover crops for improved agronomic and environmental outcomes in dryland cropping systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    3. Margot Neyret & Gaëtane Provost & Andrea Larissa Boesing & Florian D. Schneider & Dennis Baulechner & Joana Bergmann & Franciska T. Vries & Anna Maria Fiore-Donno & Stefan Geisen & Kezia Goldmann & An, 2024. "A slow-fast trait continuum at the whole community level in relation to land-use intensification," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-23, December.
    4. Florence Tardy & Gaëlle Damour & Marc Dorel & Delphine Moreau, 2017. "Trait-based characterisation of soil exploitation strategies of banana, weeds and cover plant species," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, March.
    5. Quinio, Maude & Guichard, Laurence & Salazar, Paola & Détienne, Françoise & Jeuffroy, Marie-Hélène, 2022. "Cognitive resources to promote exploration in agroecological systems design," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    6. Cameron Wagg & Aafke van Erk & Erica Fava & Louis-Pierre Comeau & T. Fatima Mitterboeck & Claudia Goyer & Sheng Li & Andrew McKenzie-Gopsill & Aaron Mills, 2021. "Full-Season Cover Crops and Their Traits That Promote Agroecosystem Services," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-26, August.

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