EVALUATING COVER CROP PERFORMANCE AND COVER CROP MANAGEMENT ON SOIL FERTILITY, SOIL HEALTH SOIL WATER USE AND SOIL TEMPERATURE DYNAMIC IN THE COLD CLIMATE CONDITIONS OF ALASKA

GOALSThe major goals of the project are to determine the impact of cover crops and their rotational schedule on soil property and soil health indicators (Objectives 2, and 3), and evaluate the cover crops suitability to interior Alaska (Objective 1) and the impact of starter fertilizer on biomass production (Objective 2). Soil temperature and water sensors will be used to determine temperature change under cover crops and soil water dynamic in a year (Objective 4). The comparison of the two cover crops will provide information on suitability of cover crops in the interior Alaska, the biomass yield, and available nitrogen added in soil will allow comparison of two systems of the two cover crops and their rotational schedule in a cold climatic condition. The results from the project is to provide quantitative information on cover crops and their rotational schedule on soil properties and soil health indicators, and the amount of available nitrogen can be added through cover crop in soil in the interior Alaska climatic conditions.OBJECTIVESto evaluate two cover crop mixtures for their suitability as a cover crops for interior Alaska;to determine impact of cover crops, rotational schedules, and starter fertilizer application on soil organic nitrogen availability for subsequent crops;to determine impact of cover crops, rotational schedule, and start fertilizers on NRCS soil health indicators; andto determine cover crop impact on soil water storages and soil water and temperature dynamics over a year.