Articles | Volume 10, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-139-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-139-2024
Original research article
 | 
15 Feb 2024
Original research article |  | 15 Feb 2024

Cover crops improve soil structure and change organic carbon distribution in macroaggregate fractions

Norman Gentsch, Florin Laura Riechers, Jens Boy, Dörte Schweneker, Ulf Feuerstein, Diana Heuermann, and Georg Guggenberger

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Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2023-1885', Anonymous Referee #1, 12 Oct 2023
    • RC2: 'Reply on RC1', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Oct 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Norman Gentsch, 02 Nov 2023

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (12 Nov 2023) by Ping He
AR by Norman Gentsch on behalf of the Authors (20 Nov 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (24 Nov 2023) by Ping He
AR by Norman Gentsch on behalf of the Authors (28 Nov 2023)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (30 Nov 2023) by Ping He
ED: Publish as is (12 Dec 2023) by Engracia Madejón Rodríguez (Executive editor)
AR by Norman Gentsch on behalf of the Authors (26 Dec 2023)
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Short summary
Cover crops have substantial impacts on soil properties, but so far it is not clear how long a legacy effect of cover cropping will remain in the soil. We found that cover crops attenuate negative effects on soil structure that come from soil cultivation. The combination of plants with different litter qualities and rhizodeposits in biodiverse cover crop mixtures can improve the positive effects of cover cropping on soil structure amelioration.