Impacts of climate change on the yields of leguminous crops in the Guinea Savanna agroecological zone of Ghana

The impacts of climate change on crop yields are receiving renewed interest,with focus on cereals and staple crops at the regional and national scales.Yet,the impacts of climate change on the yields of leguminous crops in the local context has not been explored.Thus,an in-depth understanding of climate change in the local context may support the design of locally relevant adaptation responses to current and future climate risks.This study examined the impacts of climate variables(annual rainfall,annual average temperature,rainfall indices(rainfall onset,rainfall cessation,and the length of rainy days),and the number of dry days)on the yields of leguminous crops(groundnuts,cowpeas,and soybeans)in the Guinea Savanna agroecological zone of Ghana during the period of 1989-2020.The data were analysed using Mann-Kendall’s trend,Sen’s slope test,correlation analysis,and Multiple Regression Analysis(MRA).The findings revealed that annual rainfall,annual average temperature,rainfall onset,rainfall cessation,and the length of rainy days,and the number of dry days all showed varied impacts on the yields of groundnuts,cowpeas,and soybeans.The trend analysis detected a marginal decrease in the amount of rainfall,rainfall onset,and the number of dry days from 1989 to 2020(P>0.050).Annual average temperature and the length of rainy days substantially varied(P<0.050)from 1989 to 2020,showing an increasing trend.The findings also showed a marked upward trend for the yields of groundnuts,cowpeas,and soybeans during 2005-2020.The climate variables analysed above increased the yields of groundnuts,cowpeas,and soybeans by 49.0%,55.0%,and 69.0%,respectively.The yields of groundnuts,cowpeas,and soybeans fluctuated with the variability of 30.0%,28.0%,and 27.0%from 2005 to 2020,respectively.The three leguminous crops under study demonstrated unpredictable yields due to the variations of annual rainfall,annual average temperature,rainfall onset,rainfall cessation,the length of rainy days,and the number of dry days,which stressed the need for agricultural diversification,changing planting dates,using improved seed variety,and irrigation to respond to climate change.The results of this study implied that climate change considerably impacts crop production in the Guinea Savanna agroecological zone of Ghana,emphasizing the urgency of locally based and farmer-induced adaptation measures for food security and resilient agricultural systems.

Rumen methane output and fermentation characteristics of gramineous forage and leguminous forage at differing harvest dates determined using an in vitro gas production technique

An in vitro rumen gas production technique was employed to determine the methane production and fermentation characteristics of Leymus chinensis and Medicago ruthenica at differing harvest dates（May 15,May 30,June 30,July 30,August 30 and September 30）,which are sequential phases within a single continuous growth of two 10-year-old pastures.To quantify the rate of degradation and compare in vitro rumen fermentation characteristic,a logistic-exponential model,where initial gas volume was zero（LE_0）,was used to fit gas production and methane output results.Dried,milled forage samples were incubated in vitro for 72 h at 39℃ and gas production was recorded intermittently throughout the incubation and gas samples were collected to measure methane production.Results showed that there were significant interactions between species and harvest for all chemical composition variables（P〈0.001） and condensed tannin content（P〈0.001）.L.chinensis produced more total gas and methane than M.ruthenica（P〈0.001）.Both total gas and methane production decreased lineally（P〈0.001） with advancing harvest date.The degradation rates of L.chinensis and M.ruthenica harvested on September 30 were lower than those on the other harvest dates（P〈0.01）.M.ruthenica fermented fluid had higher concentration of ammonia N（P〈0.05） and molar proportions of isobutyrate（P〈0.01）,valerate（P〈0.001） and isovalerate（P〈0.01） in total volatile fatty acids than L chinensis.Furthermore,concentration of isovalerate decreased cubically with advancing harvest date（P〈0.05）.In conclusion,M.ruthenica produced less methane than L.chinensis and the total gas and methane production decreased with advancing harvest date for both species,which may be due to the changes in contents of chemical compositions and condensed tannin in forages.

Short Term Leguminous Trees-Tillage Interactions and Their Effect on Soil-Water Content in a Semi-Arid Agroforestry Parkland

Agricultural activities that encourage slashing, burning and ploughing greatly affect the soil structure and soil organic matter on which soil water retention depends. In this study, we hypothesized that inclusion of rotational leguminous tree species improves soil water retention in a semi-arid conservation agriculture system. In a study done in Kibwezi, semi-arid eastern Kenya, results showed that the amount of water retained in the different soil strata from plots with different tree species and tillage practices was highly significant (P = 0.032). Plots with planting basins and Gliricidia sepium and Faidherbia albida tree species retained more water in both the upper and lower strata. Plots with G. sepium tree species under planting basins and zero tillage under F. albida had significantly higher soil organic carbon levels than plots that were managed under ridges and ploughing (P = 0.002). On the other hand, bulk density in plots with planting basins and zero tillage and ridges ranged between 1.35 g/cm3 and 1.53 g/cm3. Conventional tillage plots had bulk density values of 1.65 g/cm3 and 1.72 g/cm3 in the upper and lower strata respectively. The time-dependent nature of rotational leguminous tree species on soil organic matter and soil water retention in the semi-arid conservation agriculture system highlights the importance of considering these species for improving organic carbon and water retention for improved crop production.

Functional relationships of nodulation response and biomass production at nursery stages of two fast-growing, leguminous-multipurpose tree species in Bangladesh: Albizia saman and Leucaena leucocephala

This study was carried out to assess the relationship of the status of nodulation(i.e., the number of nodules, their shape and size) in root and biomass production of plant growth parameters(i.e., number of leaves, root and shoot lengths, root biomass and shoot biomass) in Albizia saman and Leucaena leucocephala. The assessment started 60 days after seeding. The study revealed that nodulation response and biomass production in both species showed significant differences over time(p < 0.05) in all variables except in the root-shoot ratio(oven-dry) of L. leucocephala. The study also showed significant differences(p < 0.05) in nodule formation and biomass production at the end of the study period between the two species except in the number of nodules and leaves and the green root-shoot ratio. There were strong positive correlations between nodule formation and biomass production, i.e., the number of nodules and the age of plants, the number of nodules and leaves, as well as the number of nodules and biomass(root biomass and shoot biomass) in both species. The results obtained using principal component analysis(PCA) and correlation coefficients of the different characteristics of nodulation and biomass production were similar in both species. The PCA showed that shoot biomass(shoot green weight and shoot oven-dry weight) is positively correlated with PC1(with an eigenvalue of 7.50) and root length is positively correlated with PC2(with an eigenvalue of 0.19) in the case of A. saman. In the case of L. leucocephala, the PCA revealed that root biomass(root green weight and root oven-dry weight), shoot biomass and shoot length are also positively correlated with PC1, while nodule formation and the number of leaves are positively correlated with PC2(with an eigenvalue PC1 of 6.92 and PC2 of 0.49).

Leguminous seeds detection based on convolutional neural networks:Comparison of Faster R-CNN and YOLOv4 on a small custom dataset

This paper help with leguminous seeds detection and smart farming. There are hundreds of kinds of seeds and itcan be very difficult to distinguish between them. Botanists and those who study plants, however, can identifythe type of seed at a glance. As far as we know, this is the first work to consider leguminous seeds images withdifferent backgrounds and different sizes and crowding. Machine learning is used to automatically classify andlocate 11 different seed types. We chose Leguminous seeds from 11 types to be the objects of this study. Thosetypes are of different colors, sizes, and shapes to add variety and complexity to our research. The images datasetof the leguminous seeds was manually collected, annotated, and then split randomly into three sub-datasetstrain, validation, and test (predictions), with a ratio of 80%, 10%, and 10% respectively. The images consideredthe variability between different leguminous seed types. The images were captured on five different backgrounds: white A4 paper, black pad, dark blue pad, dark green pad, and green pad. Different heights and shootingangles were considered. The crowdedness of the seeds also varied randomly between 1 and 50 seeds per image.Different combinations and arrangements between the 11 types were considered. Two different image-capturingdevices were used: a SAMSUNG smartphone camera and a Canon digital camera. A total of 828 images wereobtained, including 9801 seed objects (labels). The dataset contained images of different backgrounds, heights,angles, crowdedness, arrangements, and combinations. The TensorFlow framework was used to construct theFaster Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (R-CNN) model and CSPDarknet53 is used as the backbonefor YOLOv4 based on DenseNet designed to connect layers in convolutional neural. Using the transfer learningmethod, we optimized the seed detection models. The currently dominant object detection methods, Faster RCNN, and YOLOv4 performances were compared experimentally. The mAP (mean average precision) of the FasterR-CNN and YOLOv4 models were 84.56% and 98.52% respectively. YOLOv4 had a significant advantage in detection speed over Faster R-CNN which makes it suitable for real-time identification as well where high accuracy andlow false positives are needed. The results showed that YOLOv4 had better accuracy, and detection ability, as wellas faster detection speed beating Faster R-CNN by a large margin. The model can be effectively applied under avariety of backgrounds, image sizes, seed sizes, shooting angles, and shooting heights, as well as different levelsof seed crowding. It constitutes an effective and efficient method for detecting different leguminous seeds incomplex scenarios. This study provides a reference for further seed testing and enumeration applications.

Effect of Leaf Litter Treatment on Soil Microbial Biomass

Soil microbial biomass is an active fraction of soil organic matter. It shows quicker response than soil organic matter to any change in the soil environment. Being an index of soil fertility, it plays a key role in the decomposition of litters and fast release of available nutrients. Leaf litters of leguminous and non-leguminous species in alone and mixed form were applied as treatments in the soil to observe the changes in the magnitude of soil microbial biomass. Soil microbial biomass C and N were determined by chloroform fumigation extraction method. Increment in the concentration of microbial biomass C and N was higher in the treatments with leguminous leaf litter (497 - 571 μgCg?1, 48 - 55 μgNg?1) than the non-leguminous one (256 - 414 μgCg?1;22 - 36 μgNg?1). However, when non-leguminous litters were mixed with leguminous litters then the values increased distinctly (350 - 465 μgCg?1, 28 - 48 μgNg?1). On the basis of increment in soil microbial biomass, leaf litters of the species considered potential to improve soil nutrients are—Cassia siamea and Dalbergia sissoo from leguminous trees, Anthocephalus + Cassia and Shorea + Dalbergia from mixed form of non-leguminous and leguminous one and Eichhornia crassipes, an alien aquatic macrophyte. The leaf litters of these species can be used as source of organic matter to improve the crop yield.

Proteolysis in the Subtropical Woody Tree <i>Anadenanthera colubrina</i>(Angico) Seeds during and after Germination

Proteolysis of seed storage proteins (SSP) during germination provides a steady supply of amino acids to the embryo development into seedling. This process is coordinated by different peptidases that act sequentially and overlaid mode. These enzymes are an ancient group evolved separately in a wide structural and functional diversity and have many applications in medicine, pharmacy and industry. However, the knowledge about seed peptidases during germination was obtained from studies almost restricted to the cultivated species. This restriction implies caution about generalizations made from these studies, as well limits the biological knowledge about plant kingdom and technological use from plant peptidases. In this work, a scan of the proteolytic activity was held in germinating seeds of a leguminous subtropical woody tree. Eleven proteolytic activities were detected in protein extracts from embryonic axis and cotyledons. The presence and intensity of these activities varied over time and between these tissues. There was indication that aspartyl-endopeptidases (phytepsins) and cysteine-carboxypeptidases (plant cathepsins) were involved in A. colubrina SSP hydrolysis. These peptidases differ to that commonly involved in germination of the cultivated leguminous. In addition, one of detected phytepsins showed stability on pH scale, which is important for industrial uses. There was also detected a metallo-carboxypeptidase activity, which has been not described in plants. These peptidases must be isolated to confirm or not these indications. However, these data indicate the biological and technological importance of extending the studies about plant peptidases on a diverse genetic basis.

Functional Diversity of Mycorrhizal Fungi Has Differential Effects on Salinity Tolerance of <i>Acacia seyal</i>(Del.) Seedlings

Acacia seyal is a leguminous plant that plays an important role in the ecosystem of Sahelian zone by producing gum, wood and fodder. The growth of A. seyal is subject to many constraints as salinity which can affect the development of this tree. Therefore, soil microorganisms can help A. seyal to better tolerate the effects of negative environmental stresses. The contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to the salt tolerance of A. seyal, was evaluated by testing the effects of eight different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) isolates in the performance of A. seyal seedlings subjected to different levels of salinity (0, 340 and 680 mM). The results based on growth parameters of shoot and root parts, shoot mineral N, P, K and Na content as well as survival rates and mycorrhization showed that AMF improved mineral nutrition of A. seyal seedlings during salt stress. The combination between AMF and salinity provided evidence that the efficiency of AMF isolates were variable in improving mineral nutrition and mortality rate for A. seyal seedlings related to the level of salt stress. However, the effects of inoculation were variable depending to the AMF isolate associated with seedlings and the level of salinity, suggesting that interactions between plants and AMF can be modulated by both AMF diversity and the type and level of abiotic factors. Rhizophagus intraradices was more efficient at 680 mM NaCl in plant growth and mineral uptake while Glomus deserticola did not promote a better plant development than most of the other species inoculated to seedlings.

Dosage of Some Chemical Substances in Two Plant Species: Alysicarpus ovalifolius (Sch. and Th.) and Indigofera pilosa (Poir)

The content of chemical compounds of two leguminous plants (Alysicarpus ovalifolius and Indigofera pilosa) was given through chromatographic methods (HPLC) and spectrocolorimetry. The principal isolated compounds are: β-Carotene in the sheets, the vitamin B in the roots and the vitamin C in the pods. Trace elements are not also insulated in the two plant species. The results show a content iodine (0.27 mg/100g of sample) particularly high in the stems of Indigofera pilosa, what could explain the use of the plant to fight against the thyroid dysfunctions. The ratio iron in mg/100g of sample 114.14 is rather important and would make Indigofera pilosa a palliative against anaemia. The two plants would be indicated in cases of treatment of hypocalcaemia.

Carbon and Nitrogen in the Soil Profile under the Canopy Dipteryx alata(Baru)in Pasture

The presence of trees in the pastures can bring several benefits to both the animals and to the soil under their influence.Thus,the objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of organic carbon and nitrogen under the baru canopy in the soil profile.Four adult baru trees were used.The samplings were made at the four cardinal points at four different distance points from the projection radius of the crown,being:P1=one-third of the crown projection radius length;P2=two-thirds of the crown projection radius length;P3=extremity of the crown projection radius;P4=one and a half times the maximum crown projection radius length.Soil samples were collected at each point at depths of 0-0.10,0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 m.Organic carbon and nitrogen contents were evaluated and the C/N ratio was calculated.The baru trees influenced the soil organic and carbon contents in the areas under their canopy.The organic carbon and nitrogen contents were higher in relation to the tree trunk(P1)and also in the most superficial layer of the soil(0-0.10 m).The C/N ratio was higher outside the tree canopy and in the deeper layer.

Effects of Direct Sowing under Mulch-Based Cropping System (DMC) on Cotton and Maize Yield and Chemical Characteristics of Ferruginous Soil (Lixisoil) in the South Sudan Area of Burkina Faso

To better understand the effects of direct sowing under mulch-based cropping system (DMC) in Burkina Faso’s cotton production systems, randomized blocks of Fisher experimental design were implemented at Farako-Ba research station from 2010 to 2019. The study was conducted on lixisoil to evaluate DMC effects on biomass production, crops yields and soil chemical properties in a maize and cotton rotation system associated with cover crop. Conventional tillage and direct seeding without cover crop were compared to DMC under B. ruziziensis (GERM. & EVRARD), DMC under B. ruziziensis + M. cochinchinensis mulch and DMC under C. juncea (L.) mulch used in association with maize. Biomass production, crop yields and soil chemistry were evaluated. Results showed that over 10 years, no-till with or without a cover crop provided cotton seed and maize yields that were statistically equivalent to the tillage commonly practiced by farmers. Cover crop has allowed increasing the biomass production compared to Conventional Tillage and Direct Seeding. Maize yield has not varied significantly with the cover crop. After 10 years of maize and cotton rotation, the improvement raised from +27% to +38% for organic matter and from +15% to +29% for nitrogen with DMC including legumes such as M. cochinchinensis and C. juncea compared to Conventional Tillage on 0 - 5 cm depth. No significant differences were found on soil pH like P2O5 and K2O content. Although DMC with C. juncea used as cover crop did not provide the best biomass production, it contributes to increase nitrogen and organic matter and presents better mineral balances in 10 years of rotation. The 5 - 10 cm and 10 - 20 cm were little influenced by DMC systems.

蔬菜叶面喷肥

蔬菜叶面喷肥蔬菜叶面质肥的方式很好。喷施的肥料种类很多，应根据蔬菜的分类恰当适用。１．长叶蔬菜：大白菜、菠菜、芹菜、韭菜等凡是以食叶为主的蔬菜都叫叶菜。喷肥时应以氮素肥为主，氮素肥有碳铵、尿素、硫铵、磷酸铵等氮肥或氮与其它肥料的复合肥。肥液浓度：碳铵...

青椒高产栽培技术

青椒高产栽培技术一、栽培方式与管理：青椒栽培方式很多，有温室（塑料大棚和小棚以及玻璃温室）、地膜覆盖、育苗移栽、直播等几种方式。各种方式应进行不同的管理，以提高产量。二、茬口和地块选择：青椒怕重茬。多年连作使产量下降，病害严重，质量下降。丰产优质的茬...

各种果树冬季巧刮皮

各种果树冬季巧刮皮果树刮皮多在土壤结冻以后到春季掠蛰以前进行，但不能在果树发芽后刮，因为此时害虫已开始活动。一般生长１０年以上的苹果、梨、扳栗都可以刮皮，老年果树的骨干枝如出现粗皮，也要进行刮皮。苹果树皮较薄，应轻刮；梨树皮厚且裂绞较多，因而刮得要深...

红富士苹果树修剪四法

红富士苹果树修剪四法王福民，程光远拉直立枝多，角度小，是适龄幼树不挂果的主要原因。我们根据生产实践，结合专家意见，采用以“拉枝开角力中心”的修剪措施，以利缓和枝势，萌发中短枝，促进幼树挂果。第一年９自底对生长量达１米左右的主枝，根据树形需要拉到７０─...

Nitrogen availability mediates the effects of roots and mycorrhizal fungi on soil organic carbon decomposition:A meta-analysis

Plant roots and their associated mycorrhizal fungi critically mediate the decomposition of soil organic carbon(C),but the general patterns of their impacts over a broad geographical range and the primary mediating factors remain unclear.Based on a synthesis of 596 paired observations from both field and greenhouse experiments,we found that living roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi increased organic C decomposition by 30.9%,but low soil nitrogen(N)availability(i.e.,high soil C:N ratio)critically mitigated this promotion effect.In addition,the positive effects of living roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi on organic C decomposition were higher under herbaceous and leguminous plants than under woody and non-leguminous plants,respectively.Surprisingly,there was no significant difference between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal fungi in their effects on organic C decomposition.Furthermore,roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi significantly enhanced the decomposition of leaf litter but not root litter.These findings advance our understanding of how roots and their symbiotic fungi modulate soil C dynamics in the rhizosphere or mycorrhizosphere and may help improve predictions of soil global C balance under a changing climate.

Investigating drivers of active nitrification in organic horizons of tropical forest soils

High nitrate leaching has been observed from the O horizons of some tropical forests;however,the drivers of high nitrate production(active nitrification)in these O horizons have not yet been identified.This study investigated the drivers of active nitrification in the O horizon of tropical forest soils by focusing on two of the most widely recognized controlling factors of nitrification,total N,and pH.We collected mineral and O horizons from eight tropical forests in Cameroon,Indonesia,and Malaysia and measured gross nitrification rates.Some O horizons showed significantly higher gross nitrification rates than mineral horizons,indicating that these O horizons have a high potential for nitrification.Gross nitrification rates in the O horizons were positively correlated with both total N and pH,and the chemical properties(e.g.,total content of N,P,and base cations)were intercorrelated.These correlations suggested that the underlying driver of nitrification in the O horizon was nutrient richness in the litter.Results also indicated a threshold of gross nitrification rates around pH values of 5.5–6.0.We elucidate that active nitrification and subsequent high nitrate leaching from the O horizon could be driven by nutrient-rich litter,possibly derived from soil fertility and tree species.

Effects of Plant Residue Decomposition on Soil N Availability,Microbial Biomass and β-Glucosidase Activity During Soil Fertility Improvement in Ghana

With limited use of inorganic fertilizers on smallholder farms,plant residues could be viable alternatives for soil fertility improvement.This study was conducted to determine how residue quality and decomposition of nine plant species influence soil N availability,microbial biomass,andβ-glucosidase activity during soil fertility improvement.Significant differences in N concentration were found among the species,ranging from 12.2 g kg-1 in Zea mays to 39.2 g kg-1 in Baphia nitida.The C/N ratio was the highest in Z.mays(34.4),whereas lignin and polyphenol concentrations were the greatest in Acacia auriculiformis.The highest decomposition rate(0.251%per day)occurred in Tithonia diversifolia,and the lowest in A.auriculiformis,Albizia zygia,B.nitida,and Z.mays,with the half-lives of 28-56 d.Between 80%and 89%of N,P,K,Ca,and Mg were released from T.diversifolia in 7 d,compared with over 70%retention in A.auriculiformis,B.nitida,and Z.mays.The decomposition and nutrient release half-lives of Gliricidia sepium,Leucaena leucocephala,Azadirachta indica,and Senna spectabilis were less than 14 d.Soil mineral N,microbial biomass,andβ-glucosidase activity increased under all treatments,with T.diversifolia having the greatest effect.While N mineralization occurred in all of the species throughout the experiment,an initial N immobilization was recorded in the A.zy.gia,B.nitida,A.auriculiformis,and Z.mays treatments for up to 14 d.Decomposition and nutrient release rates,mineral N,soil microbial biomass,andβ-glucosidase activity were dependent on residue quality,and P and lignin levels,the lignin/N ratio,and the(lignin+polyphenol)/N ratio had the most significant effects(P≤0.05).

Identification in Lupin Seed of a Serine- Endopeptidase Activity Cleaving between Twin Arginine Pairs and Causing Limited Proteolysis of Seed Storage Proteins

The occurrence of twin-arginine motifs （-R-R-） in the amino acid sequences of animal pro-proteins frequently defines the cleavage site（s） for their structural/functional maturation. No information is available on the presence and possible biological meaning of these motifs in the seed storage proteins. In this work, a novel endopeptidase activity with cleavage specificity to twin-arginine pairs has been detected in mature dry Lupinus albus seeds. The endopeptidase was tested with a number of endogenous and exogenous protein substrates, which were selected according to the pres- ence of one or more twin-arginine residue motifs in their amino acid sequences. The observed hydrolysis patterns were limited and highly specific. Partial proteolysis led to stable polypeptide fragments that were characterized by 1- and 2-D electrophoresis. Selected polypeptides were submitted to N-terminal amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry anal- yses, These approaches, supported by bioinformatic analysis of the available sequences, allowed the conclusion that the polypeptide cleavage events had occurred at the peptide bonds comprised between twin-arginine residue pairs with all tested protein substrates. The endopeptidase activity was inhibited by 4-（2-AminoEthyl）Benzene-Sulphonyl Fluoride hy- drochloride （AEBSF）, leupeptin, and serine proteinase protein inhibitors, while it was not affected by pepstatin, trans- EpoxysuccinyI-L-leucylamido（4-guanidino）butane （E64）, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid （EDTA）, thus qualifying the Arg-Arg cleaving enzyme as a serine endopeptidase. The structural features of storage proteins from lupin and other legume seeds strongly support the hypothesis that the occurrence of an endopeptidase activity cleaving -R-R- bonds may be functional to facilitate their degradation at germination and possibly generate polypeptide fragments with specific biological activity.

Critical review of the impact of cover crops on soil properties

Grasses as well as leguminous and non-leguminous broadleaves are the major categories of commonly grown cover crops worldwide.This review focuses on the contribution of cover crops to soil properties.The review first considers the single and mixed cover crops and shows that grass species are desirable for their decay and ability to provide substantial soil cover,broadleaf species are used for their quick decomposition and capacity of releasing residues into the soil,while the leguminous species are used for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.Secondly,the impacts of cover crops on soil health are reviewed.Integrating cover crops into conventional cropping systems may reduce soil bulk density,improve soil structure and hydraulic properties to facilitate increased water infiltration and storage.Crop residue additions from cover crops may enhance soil organic C and N accretion as well as increase availability of P,K,Ca,Fe and Mg in some soil types under certain climatic conditions.Further,cover crops may provide a better condition for microbial activity,abundance,and diversity.Finally,the review shows that through proper management,cover crops may be utilized as an essential component of soil conservation practices for enhanced soil health.Still,further investigation is necessary to determine cover crop effects in additional cropping systems and climatic zones as well as the long-term effects of cover crops on soil properties,subsequent crop yield,and overall cropping system profitability.This review is an important source of information for crop growers,crop management institutions,universities,and crop consultants for sustainable agricultural production.