Management of a black oat ( Avena strigosa [Schreb.]) cover crop by mowing method (none, flail mowing, or sickle bar mowing) affected soil micro environmental conditions and soil microbial and chemical properties. Soil temperatures at depths of 0, 5, 10 and 20 cm were highest in flail mowed treatment plots (up to near 45°C at 5 cm depth), followed by sickle bar mowed plots (averaging 10°C lower at 5 cm depth). Lowest soil temperatures were maintained in plots that were not mowed; averaging 5°C lower at 5 cm depth than the sickle bar mowed plots. Increasing temperature convergence was observed below 5 cm, with the highest temperature (flail mowed treatment) at 32°C and the lowest (not mowed) at 27°C. Microbial biomass increased significantly ( P150 mg C kg -1 in the early fall. beta-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase activities decreased slowly throughout the experiment, and were significantly greater ( P
