Cover crop and wheel-track effects on soil properties under cotton production in eastern Arkansas

Repetitive use of heavy farm machinery in cultivated agriculture may cause soil compaction that can adversely affect soil-health-related properties. Cover crops (CC) are well-documented to alleviate problems associated with compaction and improve overall soil health in time. The objective of this field study was to evaluate the cumulative effects of CC treatment (i.e., with ≥ 6 years cereal rye [Secale cereale L.] CC and ≥ 4 years with no cover crop [NCC]) and sample/measurement placement (i.e., in the bed [B] and in the wheel-track [WT] and no-wheel-track [NWT] furrow) on near-surface soil physical-, chemical-, and infiltration-related properties in an alluvial soil under cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Samples were collected and in-situ measurements were conducted in late May 2019 within a single field in eastern Arkansas. Overall-infiltration rate was two times greater (p ≤ 0.01) in B compared to WT and NWT placement, which did not differ. Soil bulk density in WT was 1.1 times greater than the other two placements, while soil organic matter was greater in CC-WT (30.7 Mg ha⁻¹) than in all other treatment-placement combinations, except for CC-NWT, which did not differ. Similarly, water-stable-aggregate concentration was 2.3 and 1.6 times greater in the CC-NWT and CC-WT combinations, respectively, which did not differ, compared to under NCC. Results demonstrated that CC benefits extended beyond the bed to positively affect soil properties in adjacent WT and NWT furrows. Continued small-scale, long-term management studies using CC will extend insight into site-specific, soil-health improvements.