Increased nitrogen retention by cover crops: implications of planting date on soil and plant nitrogen dynamics

Cover crops are often used to capture excess soil nitrogen that could be lost over the winter, but effectiveness depends on the plant species, planting date, and other management practices. An experiment was carried out in a vegetable cropping system comparing the impacts of four cover crops, planting date, and nitrogen fertilizer on soil nitrogen levels and cucumber yields in the following season. Compared to no cover crop, cover crops helped to conserve nitrogen and contributed to equal or better cucumber yields.