Tillage and cover crop impacts on aggregation of a sandy soil

In corn (Zea mays L.) - soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] - winter wheat (Tr iticum aestivum L.) rotations cultivated in sandy soil under three tillage systems, with and without cover cropping, the soil wind-erodible fraction ( <0.85 mm) ranged from 78 to 96%. Proportion and wet-aggregate stability (WA S) of the 0.85- to 5.7-mm fraction both ranked no-till (8.1% of total soil weight and 49% water-stable) > chisel plow (6.7 and 39%) > conventional plo w (5.3 and 35%). Cover cropping had little effect on dry aggregate size dis tribution or WAS.