Catch Crops: A Nutrient Reservoir in Post-Harvest Residues under Water Deficit

Undersowing catch crops (CCs) in cereals provides many environmental benefits and potentially contributes to building agricultural resilience to climate change. The increasing soil water deficit due to global warming is becoming a challenge for the sustainability of Central European agriculture. Some of the multiple functions of CCs may be altered under water shortage. Two pot experiments were conducted in Poland to assess the effect of water deficit on N, P, K, and Mg accumulated in post-harvest residues left by spring barley undersown with Italian ryegrass or red clover, and in the soil under these crops. In both experiments, barley grown alone provided a reference, and two levels of water supply were adopted: higher (sufficient for barley) and lower (reduced by 50%). Under water deficit, CCs undersown in spring barley maintained their function of capturing and storing nutrients. Post-harvest residues of barley undersown with CC and stressed with water shortage accumulated the same or higher amounts of N, P, K, and Mg than residues of barley grown alone under sufficient water supply. Soil nutrient contents were negatively correlated with crop biomass. Further research with other CC species and studies based on field experiments under rainout shelters are recommended.

Automated summary

Research has shown that under water deficit conditions, catch crops undersown in spring barley can still effectively capture and store nutrients, with post-harvest residues accumulating higher amounts of N, P, K, and Mg compared to barley grown alone under sufficient water supply. Soil nutrient contents are negatively correlated with crop biomass. Further studies with different catch crop species and field experiments under rainout shelters are recommended.