We will investigate the pool of soluble nitrogen (N) deep in the soil which may represent an opportunity to simultaneously reduce N pollution and enhance profitability on 100,000s of cropland acres. Building on our previous research on nitrogen uptake by cover crops, we will develop practical early-planted winter cereal and brassica cover crop systems capable of capturing 50-200 lbs./acre of N in fall and releasing it for crop use in spring. We hypothesize that such practices will increase yields and reduce fertilizer requirements while reducing the nitrogen loading from farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It is proposed that the on-farm trials will generate important information on how...