Soil health responses to cover cropping systems in Mississippi soybean production

Abstract Integrated crop–livestock systems are designed to enhance soil health attributes, thereby contributing to increased crop production and economic profitability. The objective of this research was to compare the effects on soil health of various soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr.–cover crop–livestock production systems. A field trial was conducted at the Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station (CPBES) in Newton, MS, and the Prairie Research Unit (PRU) in Prairie, MS, from 2021 to 2023. Treatments included (a) conventional tillage soybean (CS), (b) no‐till soybean + cereal rye ( Secale cereale L.) cover crop, and (c) no‐till soybean + grazed cereal rye cover crop (GC). Soil health analyses were conducted on samples collected biannually from each location. At CPBES, no biological parameters were affected by the treatment. At PRU, permanganate oxidizable carbon and soil organic matter were lowest for CS on the third and fourth sampling dates (both 5.6 ppm). Extractable P was higher in CS treatments at CPBES for all sampling dates. At PRU, extractable K was highest in GC treatments on three of the four sampling dates. At CPBES, penetration resistance was greatest in GC treatments across all sampling dates, while water‐stable aggregate formation in GC treatments was greater than in CS treatments on the third and fourth sampling dates (third: 22.6 vs. 14.5 lb in. 2 ; fourth: 27.6 vs. 20.2 lb in. 2 ). No differences in the comprehensive assessment of soil health scores were observed at CPBES ( p = 0.5003) or PRU ( p = 0.0616), suggesting that, although differences in individual analyses may be present, the impact of grazed and ungrazed cover crop treatments was negligible on soil health during the experimental period.