---
_id: '12850'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'Winter cover crops (CCs) provide substantial agronomic and environmental
    benefits, yet their influence on nitrogen (N) fertilization requirements and yield
    outcomes for subsequent crops remains underexplored. This study investigates the
    economic optimal nitrogen rates (EONRs) and corresponding yield effects for first
    (silage maize or sugar beet) and second (winter wheat) succeeding crops following
    CCs. Four CC species from different functional groups were compared to a bare
    fallow control on contrasting sandy and loamy soils across four German field sites
    over two consecutive cropping sequences. Results revealed opposing effects: reduced
    EONR and increased N use efficiency on sandy soils in silage maize sequences,
    particularly following oil radish and rye CCs, but increased EONR on loamy soils
    for sugar beet sequences, with vetch CC showing the most favourable outcomes.
    Yield impacts varied by CC type and soil, with oil radish consistently enhancing
    yields across sites. However, CC effects on EONR were not correlated with pre-winter
    N uptake in CC biomass, challenging simple N budgeting practices. Environmental
    analysis highlighted potential greenhouse gas savings via reduced fertilizer inputs
    on sandy soils but increased upstream emissions on loamy sites. These findings
    emphasize the need for site-specific CC selection to balance economic and environmental
    benefits, with oil radish and vetch emerging as optimal choices in our trials
    for sandy and loamy soils, respectively.'
author:
- first_name: Insa
  full_name: Kühling, Insa
  last_name: Kühling
- first_name: Ingo
  full_name: Pahlmann, Ingo
  id: '76515'
  last_name: Pahlmann
- first_name: Thomas
  full_name: Räbiger, Thomas
  last_name: Räbiger
- first_name: Mirjam
  full_name: Helfrich, Mirjam
  last_name: Helfrich
- first_name: Heinz
  full_name: Flessa, Heinz
  last_name: Flessa
- first_name: Michaela
  full_name: Schlathölter, Michaela
  last_name: Schlathölter
- first_name: Heinz-Josef
  full_name: Koch, Heinz-Josef
  last_name: Koch
- first_name: Lisa
  full_name: Essich, Lisa
  last_name: Essich
- first_name: Reiner
  full_name: Ruser, Reiner
  last_name: Ruser
- first_name: Marilena
  full_name: Reinhard-Kolempas, Marilena
  last_name: Reinhard-Kolempas
- first_name: Annette
  full_name: Hoffmann, Annette
  last_name: Hoffmann
- first_name: Henning
  full_name: Kage, Henning
  last_name: Kage
citation:
  ama: Kühling I, Pahlmann I, Räbiger T, et al. Legacies of winter cover crops lead
    to opposing optimal N fertilisation rates and yields in first and second subsequent
    crops on contrasting soils. <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>. Published
    online 2025. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0">10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0</a>
  apa: Kühling, I., Pahlmann, I., Räbiger, T., Helfrich, M., Flessa, H., Schlathölter,
    M., Koch, H.-J., Essich, L., Ruser, R., Reinhard-Kolempas, M., Hoffmann, A., &#38;
    Kage, H. (2025). Legacies of winter cover crops lead to opposing optimal N fertilisation
    rates and yields in first and second subsequent crops on contrasting soils. <i>Nutrient
    Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0</a>
  bjps: <b>Kühling I <i>et al.</i></b> (2025) Legacies of Winter Cover Crops Lead
    to Opposing Optimal N Fertilisation Rates and Yields in First and Second Subsequent
    Crops on Contrasting Soils. <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>.
  chicago: Kühling, Insa, Ingo Pahlmann, Thomas Räbiger, Mirjam Helfrich, Heinz Flessa,
    Michaela Schlathölter, Heinz-Josef Koch, et al. “Legacies of Winter Cover Crops
    Lead to Opposing Optimal N Fertilisation Rates and Yields in First and Second
    Subsequent Crops on Contrasting Soils.” <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>,
    2025. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0</a>.
  chicago-de: Kühling, Insa, Ingo Pahlmann, Thomas Räbiger, Mirjam Helfrich, Heinz
    Flessa, Michaela Schlathölter, Heinz-Josef Koch, u. a. 2025. Legacies of winter
    cover crops lead to opposing optimal N fertilisation rates and yields in first
    and second subsequent crops on contrasting soils. <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>.
    doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0">10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0</a>,
    .
  din1505-2-1: '<span style="font-variant:small-caps;"><span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Kühling,
    Insa</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Pahlmann, Ingo</span> ; <span
    style="font-variant:small-caps;">Räbiger, Thomas</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Helfrich,
    Mirjam</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Flessa, Heinz</span> ;
    <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Schlathölter, Michaela</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Koch,
    Heinz-Josef</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Essich, Lisa</span>
    ; u. a.</span>: Legacies of winter cover crops lead to opposing optimal N fertilisation
    rates and yields in first and second subsequent crops on contrasting soils. In:
    <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>. Dordrecht [u.a.], Springer Science
    and Business Media LLC (2025)'
  havard: I. Kühling, I. Pahlmann, T. Räbiger, M. Helfrich, H. Flessa, M. Schlathölter,
    H.-J. Koch, L. Essich, R. Ruser, M. Reinhard-Kolempas, A. Hoffmann, H. Kage, Legacies
    of winter cover crops lead to opposing optimal N fertilisation rates and yields
    in first and second subsequent crops on contrasting soils, Nutrient Cycling in
    Agroecosystems. (2025).
  ieee: 'I. Kühling <i>et al.</i>, “Legacies of winter cover crops lead to opposing
    optimal N fertilisation rates and yields in first and second subsequent crops
    on contrasting soils,” <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>, 2025, doi: <a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0">10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0</a>.'
  mla: Kühling, Insa, et al. “Legacies of Winter Cover Crops Lead to Opposing Optimal
    N Fertilisation Rates and Yields in First and Second Subsequent Crops on Contrasting
    Soils.” <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i>, 2025, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0">https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0</a>.
  short: I. Kühling, I. Pahlmann, T. Räbiger, M. Helfrich, H. Flessa, M. Schlathölter,
    H.-J. Koch, L. Essich, R. Ruser, M. Reinhard-Kolempas, A. Hoffmann, H. Kage, Nutrient
    Cycling in Agroecosystems (2025).
  ufg: '<b>Kühling, Insa u. a.</b>: Legacies of winter cover crops lead to opposing
    optimal N fertilisation rates and yields in first and second subsequent crops
    on contrasting soils, in: <i>Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems</i> (2025).'
  van: Kühling I, Pahlmann I, Räbiger T, Helfrich M, Flessa H, Schlathölter M, et
    al. Legacies of winter cover crops lead to opposing optimal N fertilisation rates
    and yields in first and second subsequent crops on contrasting soils. Nutrient
    Cycling in Agroecosystems. 2025;
date_created: 2025-04-23T14:38:10Z
date_updated: 2025-06-25T12:38:36Z
department:
- _id: DEP8000
doi: 10.1007/s10705-025-10400-0
external_id:
  isi:
  - '001449791300001'
isi: '1'
keyword:
- Catch crop
- Silage maize
- Sugar beet
- Winter wheat
- N-transfer
- Cropping sequence
- N recommendations
language:
- iso: eng
place: Dordrecht [u.a.]
publication: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1573-0867
  issn:
  - 1385-1314
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
status: public
title: Legacies of winter cover crops lead to opposing optimal N fertilisation rates
  and yields in first and second subsequent crops on contrasting soils
type: scientific_journal_article
user_id: '83781'
year: '2025'
...