The Influence of the Cover Crops on the Maize Production Obtained on Eroded Sloping Arble Field

Abstract

The cover crops used to control erosion, supply nutrients and mitigate nitrate leaching, could be a powerful tool for reclamation of soils degraded by erosion. The present study was carried out in order to analyze the influence of the use of cover crops on the maize production recorded in an sloping eroded experimental field located on an eroded slope. The research was carried out on an eroded land on a slope, cultivated with pasture dominated by alfalfa and maize belonging to the Pioneer PR38A24 hybrid. A bifactorial experiment was organized, with the factors represented by the type of cover crop and the location of the crop. The plant species considered suitable for use as green fertilizers are: lupine, rapeseed, rye, ryegrass, vetch, and the conventional fertilizer is N90P45K90. Both at the base of the slope and at its top, the highest maize production averages are reported in the case of the application of maize cultivation technology on contour lines, under the conditions of the administration of conventional fertilization. Cultivation technology is the main factor that is not positively correlated with any fertilization solution, while crop location is the main factor very strongly positively correlated with: administration of mixed cover crops, in pure culture and administration of conventional fertilization.