Accumulation of dry matter and nitrogen by minimum-tillage silage maize planted into winter cover crop residues

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.T. Rüegg ◽  
W. Richner ◽  
P. Stamp ◽  
B. Feil

HortScience ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 1568-1574 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ryan Harrelson ◽  
Greg D. Hoyt ◽  
John L. Havlin ◽  
David W. Monks

Throughout the southeastern United States, vegetable growers have successfully cultivated pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) using conventional tillage. No-till pumpkin production has not been pursued by many growers as a result of the lack of herbicides, no-till planting equipment, and knowledge in conservation tillage methods. All of these conservation production aids are now present for successful no-till vegetable production. The primary reasons to use no-till technologies for pumpkins include reduced erosion, improved soil moisture conservation, long-term improvement in soil chemical and microbial properties, and better fruit appearance while maintaining similar yields compared with conventionally produced pumpkins. Cover crop utilization varies in no-till production, whereas residue from different cover crops can affect yields. The objective of these experiments was to evaluate the influence of surface residue type on no-till pumpkin yield and fruit quality. Results from these experiments showed all cover crop residues produced acceptable no-till pumpkin yields and fruit size. Field location, weather conditions, soil type, and other factors probably affected pumpkin yields more than surface residue. Vegetable growers should expect to successfully grow no-till pumpkins using any of the winter cover crop residues tested over a wide range in residue biomass rates.



2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1239-1244 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Alcántara ◽  
A. Pujadas ◽  
M. Saavedra


2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrique von Hertwig Bittencourt ◽  
Paulo Emílio Lovato ◽  
Jucinei José Comin ◽  
Marcos Alberto Lana ◽  
Miguel Angel Altieri ◽  
...  

Abstract A greenhouse assay was carried out to evaluate the effect of winter cover crop residues on spontaneous plants that commonly occur on summer annual fields in Southern Brazil. Dry shoot residues of rye (Secale cereale), vetch (Vicia villosa), fodder radish (Raphanus sativus), and a mix of the three species, were applied over pots that had been seeded with alexandergrass (Brachiaria plantaginea), hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa), wild poinsettia (Euphorbia heterophylla), and morning glory (Ipomoea grandifolia) at four different depths (0, 1, 2, or 4 cm). Plant emergence and biomass production were measured. Residues of rye reduced the emergence of B. plantaginea, while vetch diminished I. grandifolia and B. plantaginea emergence. Fodder radish reduced emergence of I. grandifolia. The mix of cover crops reduced emergence of I. grandifolia, B. plantaginea, and B. pilosa. None of the cover crops differed from the control on E. heterophylla emergence. The lowest yields in spontaneous plant shoot biomass were obtained from the cover with rye + vetch + fodder radish. The lowest values of root biomass occurred under cover with rye, fodder radish or the mix. Use of vetch residues decreased emergence of B. plantaginea and I. grandifolia, but enhanced biomass accumulation by the latter



Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Jie Li ◽  
Shuai Wang ◽  
Yuanliang Shi ◽  
Lili Zhang ◽  
Zhijie Wu

Cover crop management during the fallow season may play a relevant role in improving crop productivity and soil quality, by increasing nitrogen (N) and soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation, but has the possibility of increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the soil. A year-long consistency experiment was conducted to examine the effects of various winter covering crops on annual nitrous oxide (N2O) together with methane (CH4) emissions in the mono-rice planting system, including direct emissions in the cover crop period and the effects of incorporating these crops on gaseous emissions during the forthcoming rice (Oryza Sativa L.) growing period, to improve the development of winter fallow paddy field with covering crops and to assess rice cultivation patterns. The experiment included three treatments: Chinese milk vetch-rice (Astragalus sinicus L.) with cover crop residue returned (T1), ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.)-rice with cover crop residue returned (T2), and rice with winter fallow (CK). Compared with CK, the two winter cover crop treatments significantly increased rice yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) by 6.9–14.5%, 0.8–2.1% and 3.4–5.4%, respectively. In all cases, the fluxes of CH4 and N2O could increase with the incorporation of N fertilizer application and cover crop residues. Short-term peaks of these two gas fluxes were monitored after all crop residues were incorporated in the soil preparation period, the early vegetative growth period and the midseason drainage period. The winter cover crop residue application greatly enhanced CH4 and N2O cumulative emissions compared with CK (by 193.6–226.5% and 37.5–43.7%, respectively) during rice growing season and intercropping period. Meanwhile, the mean values of global warming potentials (GWPs) from paddy fields with different cropping crops were T2 > T1 > CK. Considering the advantages of crop productivity together with environmental safety and soil quality, Chinese milk vetch-rice with cover crop residue returned would be the most practicable and sustainable cultivation pattern for the mono-rice cropping systems.



2006 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 946-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis E. Rowe ◽  
Timothy E. Fairbrother ◽  
Karamat A. Sistani


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda L Buchanan ◽  
Cerruti R R Hooks


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 5239-5253 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.-Y. Yeo ◽  
S. Lee ◽  
A. M. Sadeghi ◽  
P. C. Beeson ◽  
W. D. Hively ◽  
...  

Abstract. Winter cover crops are an effective conservation management practice with potential to improve water quality. Throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW), which is located in the mid-Atlantic US, winter cover crop use has been emphasized, and federal and state cost-share programs are available to farmers to subsidize the cost of cover crop establishment. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term effect of planting winter cover crops to improve water quality at the watershed scale (~ 50 km2) and to identify critical source areas of high nitrate export. A physically based watershed simulation model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), was calibrated and validated using water quality monitoring data to simulate hydrological processes and agricultural nutrient cycling over the period of 1990–2000. To accurately simulate winter cover crop biomass in relation to growing conditions, a new approach was developed to further calibrate plant growth parameters that control the leaf area development curve using multitemporal satellite-based measurements of species-specific winter cover crop performance. Multiple SWAT scenarios were developed to obtain baseline information on nitrate loading without winter cover crops and to investigate how nitrate loading could change under different winter cover crop planting scenarios, including different species, planting dates, and implementation areas. The simulation results indicate that winter cover crops have a negligible impact on the water budget but significantly reduce nitrate leaching to groundwater and delivery to the waterways. Without winter cover crops, annual nitrate loading from agricultural lands was approximately 14 kg ha−1, but decreased to 4.6–10.1 kg ha−1 with cover crops resulting in a reduction rate of 27–67% at the watershed scale. Rye was the most effective species, with a potential to reduce nitrate leaching by up to 93% with early planting at the field scale. Early planting of cover crops (~ 30 days of additional growing days) was crucial, as it lowered nitrate export by an additional ~ 2 kg ha−1 when compared to late planting scenarios. The effectiveness of cover cropping increased with increasing extent of cover crop implementation. Agricultural fields with well-drained soils and those that were more frequently used to grow corn had a higher potential for nitrate leaching and export to the waterways. This study supports the effective implementation of cover crop programs, in part by helping to target critical pollution source areas for cover crop implementation.



1999 ◽  
Vol 30 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Vaughan ◽  
Gregory K. Evanylo


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