Cover crops can benefit hot, dry soils

A new study published in Soil Biology and Chemistry shows that cover crops have universally positive effects on the soil microbiome. Other studies have shown benefits of cover cropping on the soil microbial community, but most of them have been one-offs influenced by specific site conditions, unique seasonal effects, idiosyncratic management regimes, and the researchers’ chosen analysis methods. Study author Nakia Kim’s work is different in that he looked for universal patterns among dozens of these one-off studies.