Nitrate losses and nitrous oxide emissions under contrasting tillage and cover crop management

Agroecosystems in the upper Mississippi River Basin are highly productive but often contribute to deterioration of water quality and greenhouse gas emissions. Cover cropping and no-till are conservation strategies implemented to reduce the environmental impact of these agroecosystems. However, using multiple strategies can lead to systemwide interactions that are not fully understood. These interactions can affect not only environmental quality metrics, such as subsurface drainage nitrate losses or nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, but also may influence crop production potential. A field trial was initiated comparing nitrate losses, N2O emissions, and crop production under systems with fall chisel plow tillage, fall chisel plow tillage with an oat (Avena sativa L.) cover crop (CP-oat), no-till (NT), no-till with a rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop (NT-rye), and NT with zero N fertilizer. Pathways for nitrate losses and N2O emissions did not appear linked and were not tied to cover crop or tillage practices. Nitrate losses were linked with drainage volumes, and cover crops and tillage had limited effect on cumulative drainage volumes. Notably, NT-rye altered the relationship between drainage volume and nitrate losses by reducing nitrate concentrations, lowering nitrate losses by 59 +/- 9% compared with CP-oat and 67 +/- 9% compared with NT. Neither cover crop nor tillage consistently affected N2O emissions or crop yield. Rather, N2O emissions were closely tied with fertilizer N application and seasonal weather patterns. These findings indicate that nitrate leaching and N2O emissions are regulated by separate mechanisms, so conservation management may require stacking multiple practices to be effective.