Articles | Volume 10, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-139-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-10-139-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Cover crops improve soil structure and change organic carbon distribution in macroaggregate fractions
Norman Gentsch
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hanover, Germany
Florin Laura Riechers
Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hanover, Germany
Jens Boy
Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hanover, Germany
Dörte Schweneker
Deutsche Saatveredelung AG, Steimker Weg 7, 27330 Asendorf, Germany
Ulf Feuerstein
Deutsche Saatveredelung AG, Steimker Weg 7, 27330 Asendorf, Germany
Diana Heuermann
Department Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research Gatersleben, Corrensstraße 3, 06466 Seeland, Germany
Georg Guggenberger
Institute of Soil Science, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hanover, Germany
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- Interactions Between Soil Texture and Cover Crop Diversity Shape Carbon Dynamics and Aggregate Stability V. Šimanský & M. Lukac https://doi.org/10.3390/land14102044
- Seasonal Impacts of Organic Fertilizers, Cover Crop Residues, and Composts on Soil Health Indicators in Sandy Soils: A Case Study with Organic Celery Z. Ray & X. Zhao https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061334
- Crop sequence effects on the genesis of soil aggregates in no-tillage systems: A focus on biogenic structures I. Batista et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106981
- Effect of Vegetation Cover and Height on Soil and Plant Properties Across Managed and Unmanaged Agricultural Land in a Temperate Climate S. Udofia et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli14020032
- Soybean root elongation in relation to water and mechanical stresses in intact and disturbed structures of an Oxisol J. Santos et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1805154
- Impacts of cover cropping and organic amendments on soil physical quality under temperate climate M. Munna & R. Lal https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2025.2467452
- Spatial variability and microbiological and structural quality in sandy soil under managed functional diversity in integrated crop-livestock systems L. Silva et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106855
- Soil water replenishment by rainfall: a case study of headwater forests in terraced agroforestry systems H. Deng et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpag043
47 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Catch crop amendments and microbial inoculants differently modulate apple rhizosphere microbiomes and plant responses K. Hauschild et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaf055
- Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth. as a Multifunctional Plant: Support for Pollinators and Sustainable Agricultural Practices P. Żarczyński et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081843
- Effects of tillage, cover crop management and nitrogen fertilisation on soil physical properties in spring barley R. Wacławowicz et al. https://doi.org/10.31545/intagr/224288
- Continental Patterns of Electrical Conductivity and Soil Aggregates in European Wheat Agroecosystems M. Conde-Cid et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16050561
- Effects of long-term winter cropping on paddy rice yield, soil properties and rhizosphere bacterial community in Southern China H. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109734
- Effect of Regenerative Agriculture on Soil Health, Ecosystem Services and Economic Performance in a Commercial Olive Orchard in Southern Spain M. Torrús‐Castillo et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.70181
- A review on cover crops as a multifunctional ecological regulator in organic crop production systems S. Naroju et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fhort.2026.1866996
- Assessing the potential of turnip rape and radish cover crops as trap crops for Psylliodes chrysocephala in commercial field production conditions A. Boulay et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.71182
- Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices—Strategies to Conserve and Increase Soil Carbon in Hungary E. Tóth et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14061206
- Cover Crops Enhance Soil Organic Carbon and Soil Quality for Sustainable Crop Yield: A Systematic Review M. Salisu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15122865
- The impact of cover crops on soil quality B. Bartosiewicz et al. https://doi.org/10.2478/cag-2025-0010
- Desenvolvimento morfológico de Crotalaria juncea L. e Crotalaria spectabilis Roth sob compactação do solo D. Santos et al. https://doi.org/10.48017/dj.v11i2.3980
- Agronomic Performance and Grain Quality of Green Maize as Affected by Cover Crops and No-Till System Stages J. Torres et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/crops6040068
- Effects of dry soil aggregate size on organic carbon, total nitrogen, and soil texture under different land uses M. Hao et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-025-0030-x
- Permanent living mulches of white clover and bird's‐foot trefoil affect the biomass and nutraceutical quality of organic broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) inflorescences F. Leoni et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.70429
- Cover crop root and shoot biomass as affected by species, mixtures, year and sowing date L. Reinelt et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-026-08533-4
- Diversity of Understory Plant Species and Their Invasiveness Potential in Man-Made Dipterocarp Forest: A Case Study from Indonesia T. Setyawati et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2026.2673524
- Leguminous green manure drives SOC pool accumulation by regulating microbial activity and C-degrading genes in tropical soils L. Jia et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-026-02025-4
- Aggregate pore architecture as a bridge between soil carbon and phosphorus cycling W. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2026.107416
- Moderate nitrogen reduction following legume cover crops delivers multifunctional benefits in arid spring wheat M. Zong et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-026-08659-5
- Soil Fungal Communities Across Contrasting Land-Use Systems in an Intensively Managed Cerrado Landscape J. Reis et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof12050346
- Decade-scale cover cropping improves soil water holding capacity in semiarid vineyards and olive groves M. Marques et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2026.110435
- Mulching Improves the Soil Hydrothermal Environment, Soil Aggregate Content, and Potato Yield in Dry Farmland Z. Ma et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14112470
- Enhancing soil carbon storage in water-limited environments with multispecies cover cropping: Insights from DayCent® model simulation D. Arije et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2026.110384
- Rotating intercrops in continuous maize cultivation: effect on the soil macronutrient content and aggregate stability A. Švereikaitė et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2026.2672220
- Influence of agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon stock and distribution in topsoil and subsoil as revealed by a mid-term trial C. Poesio et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106897
- Effects of Replacing Bare Fallow with Cover Crops on Soil Physicochemical Properties in Southern Tibetan Cereal Cropping Systems C. Duan et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16161717
- Cover crops enhance soil health, crop yield and resilience of tropical agroecosystem V. Souza et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2025.109755
- Field-based assessment of carbon farming practices in Mediterranean olive groves: Emission reductions and sequestration outcomes B. Ruiz-Carrasco et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.147562
- Tailored cover crop mixtures enhance soil phosphorus cycling but not wheat yield in a short-term column experiment H. Raniro et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07488-2
- Rethinking the production and publication of machine-readable expressions of research findings M. Stocker et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04905-0
- Root-soil interactions a key driver of aggregate formation and stability: a trait-based and mechanistic review A. Hamza et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-026-08453-3
- Evaluation of Summer Cover Crops for Growth, Nutrient Dynamics, and Weed Suppression in South Florida D. Govada et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/app16104815
- Climate efficiency of long-term nutrient management: Cross-site greenhouse gas responses in temperate cropping systems J. Nyameasem et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2026.110519
- Winter cover crops impact on soybean yield and quality in Mississippi Delta A. Bhandari et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-026-10474-4
- Enhancement of the phytoremediation performance in heavy metal-contaminated soil using a multifunctional EPS-producing bacterium Kosakonia sp. W18 S. Lee & K. Cho https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2025.121355
- Can coffee and cocoa cultivation restore intensively grazed dark earth of the Amazon rainforest? J. Silva et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70020
- Bio-organic fertilizer improves soil carbon sequestration via macroaggregate formation in intensive tomato cultivation system L. Ren et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2026.107219
- Soil quality evolution and constraints in newly reclaimed farmland from gully consolidation in Yuanmou dry-hot valley of Southwest China Y. Luo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2026.107287
- Interactions Between Soil Texture and Cover Crop Diversity Shape Carbon Dynamics and Aggregate Stability V. Šimanský & M. Lukac https://doi.org/10.3390/land14102044
- Seasonal Impacts of Organic Fertilizers, Cover Crop Residues, and Composts on Soil Health Indicators in Sandy Soils: A Case Study with Organic Celery Z. Ray & X. Zhao https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061334
- Crop sequence effects on the genesis of soil aggregates in no-tillage systems: A focus on biogenic structures I. Batista et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106981
- Effect of Vegetation Cover and Height on Soil and Plant Properties Across Managed and Unmanaged Agricultural Land in a Temperate Climate S. Udofia et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli14020032
- Soybean root elongation in relation to water and mechanical stresses in intact and disturbed structures of an Oxisol J. Santos et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1805154
- Impacts of cover cropping and organic amendments on soil physical quality under temperate climate M. Munna & R. Lal https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2025.2467452
- Spatial variability and microbiological and structural quality in sandy soil under managed functional diversity in integrated crop-livestock systems L. Silva et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106855
- Soil water replenishment by rainfall: a case study of headwater forests in terraced agroforestry systems H. Deng et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpag043
Saved (final revised paper)
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Latest update: 26 Aug 2026
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.
Cover crops have substantial impacts on soil properties, but so far it is not clear how long a...