** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** COVER CROPS (CCS) ARE CONSIDERED A LEADING TECHNOLOGY TO RESTORE OR MAINTAIN SOIL ORGANIC C(SOC) AND IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH. HOWEVER, WHILE CCS HAVE A POTENTIAL TO DELIVER THESE SERVICES,SIGNIFICANT GAPS STILL EXIST IN OUR KNOWLEDGE. MOST CC STUDIES REPORT DATA ON SOC AND SOIL HEALTHONLY FOR SHALLOW DEPTHS (< 30 CM), ARE SHORT-TERM (< 10 YR), AND FOCUS ON A SUBSET OF SOIL HEALTHINDICATORS. YET, SOIL-PROFILE, LONG-TERM, AND COMPREHENSIVE DATA ARE NEEDED TO REFINE OURUNDERSTANDING OF CC IMPACTS. THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO FILL THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP FORREPRESENTATIVE SOILS IN THE WESTERN CORN BELT. SPECIFICALLY, IT WILL EXAMINE THE LONG-TERM (10- TO15-YR) IMPACTS OF EARLY- AND LATE-TERMINATED CCS ON SOIL-PROFILE: 1) C POOLS AND SOCSEQUESTRATION AND 2) SOIL HEALTH INDICATORS. TWO EXISTING 10-YR EXPERIMENTS WITH EARLY (2-3 WKBEFORE PLANTING) AND LATE (AT CROP PLANTING) CC TERMINATION IN RAINFED AND IRRIGATED NO-TILLCONTINUOUS CORN SYSTEMS IN THE WESTERN CORN BELT WILL BE USED. WE WILL SAMPLE SOIL TO AT LEAST 1M TO MEASURE SOC POOLS, SOIL PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL HEALTH INDICATORS, AND ROOT CCBIOMASS. WE WILL ALSO DETERMINE ABOVEGROUND CC BIOMASS, CROP YIELDS, AND OTHER PARAMETERS.DATA WILL BE USED FOR PREDICTING SOC SEQUESTRATION ON REGIONAL SCALES USING MODELS (I.E., DNDC).THIS PROJECT IS NOVEL BECAUSE NO PREVIOUS PROJECT HAS COMPREHENSIVELY ASSESSED SOIL-PROFILE SOCAND SOIL HEALTH IN THE LONG TERM UNDER EARLY- AND LATE-CC TERMINATION IN RAINFED AND IRRIGATEDSYSTEMS. IT WILL THUS DELIVER VALUABLE DATA TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.

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