Substituting vetch and chicory for rye in a cover crop mixture enhanced nutrient release

Increasing the functional diversity of cover crop polycultures has potential to modify nutrient cycling. Aboveground tissue from rye (Secale cereale), vetch (Vicia villosa subsp. dasycarpa), and chicory (Cichorium intybus) was arranged in litterbags, and rates of nutrient supply were measured. A control, monocultures of each species, a biculture of rye:vetch, and a polyculture of rye:vetch:chicory were compared. Increasing functional diversity through reducing the quantity of rye tissue by 30% to include 10% chicory and 20% vetch increased the total amount of nitrogen released by 257%.