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Climate smart agriculture has been emphasized for mitigating anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet the mitigation potential of individual management practices remain largely unexplored in semi-arid cropping systems. This study evaluated the effects of different winter cover crop mixtures on CO2 and N2O emissions, net GHG balance (GHGnet), greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), yield-scaled GHG emissions, and soil properties in irrigated forage corn (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) rotations. Four cover crop treatments: (1) grasses, brassicas, and legumes mixture (GBL), (2) grasses and brassicas mixture (GB), (3) grasses and legumes mixture (GL), and (4) a no-cover crop (NCC) control, each replicated four times under corn and sorghum phase of the rotations, were tested in the semi-arid Southern Great Plains of USA. Results showed 5–10 times higher soil respiration with cover crop mixtures than NCC during the cover crop phase and no difference during the cash crop phase. The average N2O-N emission in NCC was 44% lower than GL and 77% lower than GBL in corn and sorghum rotations. Cash crop yield was 13–30% greater in cover crop treatments than NCC, but treatment effects were not observed for GHGnet, yield-scaled emissions, and GHGI. Integrating cover crops could be a climate smart strategy for forage production in irrigated semi-arid agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a suitable alternative for corn silage in water-limited environments due to its similar yield potential as corn but with less water input. Cover cropping could further improve forage sorghum yield and water productivity, making it the best alternative forage crop for arid and semi-arid regions. This two-year study evaluated the effect of fallow and cover crops on soil volumetric water content (VWC), soil water extraction, changes in soil water storage (∆S), seasonal crop evapotranspiration (ET seasonal), cropping system evapotranspiration (ET system), seasonal crop water productivity (CWP seasonal), cropping system water productivity (CWP system) and forage sorghum yield under a no-till semi-arid irrigated condition. Treatments included three winter cover crop mixtures: grasses + brassicas + legumes (GBL), grasses + brassicas (GB), grasses + legumes (GL), and a no-cover crop control (fallow), arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Cover crops significantly reduced soil VWC at the beginning and up to 30 days after sorghum planting (DAP). However, at 60 DAP, the VWC was mostly similar among all treatments, and at 90 DAP, it was 17–21% higher under the cover crop treatments than fallow. The ET seasonal was 22–26% higher under cover crops than fallow during cover crop growth, but it was 12–13% greater under fallow than the cover crops during forage sorghum growth. Total soil water extraction at sorghum harvest was 8–89% higher under fallow than cover crops treatments. Averaged across years, cover crop biomass yield was 11% greater with the GBL mixture than the GB and GL mixtures. Forage sorghum yield was 23%, 32%, and 18% higher under GBL, GB, and GL cover crop mixtures, respectively, than fallow. Compared to fallow, cover crop mixtures improved sorghum CWP by 38–43%. Results indicated that forage sorghum yield and CWP under semi-arid irrigated systems could be substantially improved with winter cover cropping than leaving the land fallow. • We studied cover crop effects on soil water dynamics and forage sorghum yield. • Cover crops decreased soil water content by 26% at sorghum planting. • Cover crop increased sorghum yield by 18–32% and water content at harvest by 17–21%. • System water productivity was 50–56% greater with cover crops than with fallow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]