Effect of undersown legumes cover crops on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) under organic management from 2013 to 2021

Summary

This database originates from field trials conducted between 2013 and 2021 by CREABIO at the La Hourre experimental site (southwestern France) and was compiled by ITAB. These trials aimed to investigate the effect of establishing legume cover crops within a soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) crop, as well as the after-effects on a subsequent soybean (Glycine max) crop in the following season. The cover crops were sown in March, inter-row within the standing cereal crop and were terminated by mowing in April of the following year, prior to soybean establishment.
Each treatment corresponded to a different legume cover crop species. A total of 6 treatments were implemented, involving 5 cover crop species (including alfalfa - Medicago sativa, white clover - Trifolium repens, red clover - Trifolium pratense, Lotus corniculatus and Onobrychis viciifolia). All treatments were compared against monocropping wheat control.
The trials were conducted using a split-plot design with 3 replicates.
The database includes information on:
- Field operations: sowing, fertilization, weed control, and harvesting
- Soft wheat production performance: grain yield, protein content, specific weight, grain nitrogen and phosphorus total content, aboveground residue biomass quantity, nitrogen and phosphorus total content
- Cover crop production performance: aboveground residue biomass quantity, nitrogen and phosphorus total content
- Soybean production performance: grain yield, protein content, grain nitrogen and phosphorus total content, aboveground residue biomass quantity, nitrogen and phosphorus total content
- Soft wheat yield components: plants density (plants/m²), ears density (ears/m²) and grains density (grains/m ²)
- Soybean yield components: plants density (plants/m²), pods density (ears/m²), grains density (grains/m ²) and thousand seed weight
- Weeds biomass: total weed biomass
- Soil mineral nitrogen content at different horizons at different dates.
Additionally, the database contains daily meteorological data (minimum, maximum, and mean temperatures, as well as precipitation) recorded at the on-site weather station throughout the trial period.
Crop succession:
Year n || Year n+1 || Year n+2
<---Triticum aestivum--->
<--Cover crops-->
<--Glycine max-->
This dataset is part of the database compiled as an outcome of Work Area 1 in project OrganicYieldsUP. Variable definitions can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15276082
ID abbreviations:
CC: cover crops
CC-S: spring cover crops
NO: without cover crops
WC: white clover as cover crop
RC: red clover as cover crop
AF: alfalfa as cover crop
LC: Lotus corniculatus as cover crop
OV: Onobrychis viciifolia as cover crop
Publications based on this dataset (Frensh):
Résultats de l’essai test de couverts végétaux en agriculture biologique :
– Campagne 2014
– Campagne 2015
– Campagne 2016
– Campagne 2017
– Campagne 2018
– Campagne 2019
– Campagne 2020
– Campagne 2021