Soil salinity is a critical concern in agriculture when excessive soluble salts restrict a plant’s water uptake, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hindering crop growth and reducing yields on roughly 30% of U.S. irrigated land.

As demand for cover crops increases, Mizzou’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture is leading the National Cover Crop Variety Improvement and Seed Production Project, a $10 million effort to develop cover crop varieties and provide new markets for farmers nationwide.

Although less common in the U.S., triticale has been embraced by some as a winter cover crop, and LSU AgCenter breeders are hoping to soon release a variety that is ideal for Louisiana farmers.

Farmers across the U.S.—whether they use cover crops, formerly used them, or have never planted covers—are invited to share their insights on cover crops in the National Cover Crop Survey.

In this edition:

• Sixty years of crop diversification with perennials improves yields more than no-tillage in Ohio grain cropping systems
• Conservation Tillage Practices on GHG Emissions, Soil Health and Overall Agricultural Sustainability
• Long-term continuous no-till corn-soybean systems: Examining soil carbon sequestration and nitrogen accumulation across various pools
• Assessing the agricultural, environmental, and economic effects of crop diversity management: A comprehensive review on crop rotation and cover crop practices
• Cover Crops Optimize Soil Fertility and Soybean Productivity in the Cerrado of MATOPIBA, Brazil
• Short-term no-tillage improves soil water retention and maintains soil aeration at high moisture conditions despite reduced macroporosity
• Tillage Radish as Cover Crop Improves Soil Health Indicators Depending on Pedoclimatic Conditions.