2022 Fall Farm Outlook

2022 Fall Farm Outlook Lincoln Daily News Oct 2022 Page 31 roots for winter, and regrow in spring from roots.” The outcome is “improved spring weed suppression and high amounts of biomass that will break down into organic matter later.” What is promoted that may not be beneficial in Central Illinois Though cover crops are often seen as a way to improve soil health, some research shows they may not always work as well as intended. In two studies led by Nakian Kim, a doctoral graduate from the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois, Kim discovered “short-term use of cover crops can’t undo decades of soil microbial dynamics in response to continuous corn and heavy nitrogen fertilizer use.” Kim says, “In the Midwest, our soils are healthy and resilient, but we shouldn’t overestimate them. A soil under unsustainable practices for too long might reach an irreversible threshold.” In one study published in Agronomy, Kim analyzed “microbial communities at the genus level.” This level of study helped Kim see how “a soil and its microbial community are responding to soil management practices.” One discovery Kim made in this study is “both long-term fertilization and cover crops favored microbes that could increase the risk of nitrous oxide emissions.” CONTINUED --