Quantifying Field Management Practices on Soil Moisture and Temperature
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 18, Issue 1 - June 2025
Editor: Linda Chalker-Scott
Abstract
A cover crop is planted to a field to provide a variety of environmental and economic benefits such as slowing soil erosion and improving soil health (Clark, 2019). One of the biggest concerns farmers face when adopting cover crops is the fear of ?elds not drying out as quickly in the spring for planting. To explore this concern, sensors monitoring soil moisture and temperature were placed in seven Ohio fields in 2022 and 2023 at depths of 3 and 6-inches under one of three management conditions: conventional tillage, no-till, and no-till with a cover crop. Quantification of differences in soil moisture and temperature between conventional tillage, no-till, and cover crop management using soil sensors revealed no statistical difference in moisture and temperature in the spring. The results of this study provide evidence that cover crops can be incorporated as a soil management strategy with little measurable impact to the soil moisture and temperature at planting and throughout the season.
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