Winter cover crops to reduce herbicide inputs in maize crops

Winter cover crops potentially have a number of positive production and environmental benefits on subsequent maize (Zea mays) crops. A field study was undertaken in 2016/17 to evaluate the effects of winter cover crop residues on the emergence and growth of weeds, required herbicide inputs, and yields of maize in comparison to a winter fallow. Weed ground cover at maize canopy closure was 81—85% less than the winter fallow in plots with ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), oats (Avena sativa) and gland clover (Trifolium glanduliferum) residues and 57% less in faba bean (Vicia faba). Ryegrass and oats residues maintained ground coverage of >70%, while clover had only 6% at canopy closure, but suppressed weeds similarly. In the absence of herbicides maize silage yields in plots with cover crop residues were similar to those in herbicide treatments, although maize establishment and growth was slower in oats and ryegrass.

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Winter Cover Crops and Nitrogen Management in Sweet Corn and Broccoli Rotations

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.32.4.664 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 664-668 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

John Z. Burket ◽

Delbert D. Hemphill ◽

Richard P. Dick

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Red Clover ◽

Fertilizer N ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops ◽

Residual Fertilizer N ◽

Winter Fallow

Cover crops hold potential to improve soil quality, to recover residual fertilizer N in the soil after a summer crop that otherwise might leach to the groundwater, and to be a source of N for subsequently planted vegetable crops. The objective of this 5-year study was to determine the N uptake by winter cover crops and its effect on summer vegetable productivity. Winter cover crops [red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), cereal rye (Secale cereale L. var. Wheeler), a cereal rye/Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum L.) mix, or a winter fallow control] were in a rotation with alternate years of sweet corn (Zea mays L. cv. Jubilee) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Botrytis Group cv. Gem). The subplots were N rate (zero, intermediate, and as recommended for vegetable crop). Summer relay plantings of red clover or cereal rye were also used to gain early establishment of the cover crop. Cereal rye cover crops recovered residual fertilizer N at an average of 40 kg·ha-1 following the recommended N rates, but after 5 years of cropping, there was no evidence that the N conserved by the cereal rye cover crop would permit a reduction in inorganic N inputs to maintain yields. Intermediate rates of N applied to summer crops in combination with winter cover crops containing legumes produced vegetable yields similar to those with recommended rates of N in combination with winter fallow or cereal rye cover crops. There was a consistent trend (P < 0.12) for cereal rye cover crops to cause a small decrease in broccoli yields as compared to winter fallow.

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Winter Cover Crops Reduce Bacterial Wilt of Flue-cured Tobacco

Plant Health Progress ◽

10.1094/php-2007-0522-01a-rs ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 18

Author(s):

K. L. Ong ◽

B. A. Fortnum ◽

D. A. Kluepfel ◽

M. B. Riley

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Bacterial Wilt ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Disease Incidence ◽

Nematode Control ◽

Bacterial Wilt Disease ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops ◽

Serious Disease ◽

Winter Fallow

Bacterial wilt, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, is a serious disease for tobacco farmers in the southeastern USA. The lack of suitable land for crop rotation and increased area of production on farms has resulted in shorter rotations, and increased losses due to bacterial wilt. Cover crops are rarely grown immediately before a tobacco crop because soil fumigation for nematode control necessitates early destruction of the cover crop. The microbial activity associated with growing winter cover crops may alter populations of R. solanacearum. This field study evaluated vetch, canola, or rye winter cover crops for suppression of bacterial wilt. Averaged over two tobacco crops, vetch preceding tobacco reduced bacterial wilt disease incidence 33% and increased crop yield and value (37% and 41%, respectively) when compared to a winter fallow. A two-year rotation involving both winter cover and summer rotation crops also showed that winter cover crops increased yields and reduced disease incidence when used following a nonsusceptible summer crop. Soybean rotation followed by a vetch winter cover reduced disease incidence 73% and increased yields 132% when compared to tobacco without a summer soybean rotation and with a bare winter fallow. Data suggest that losses to bacterial wilt can be reduced significantly with use of a vetch winter cover. Accepted for publication 14 February 2007. Published 22 May 2007.

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PERFORMANCE OF ‘NANICÃO JANGADA’ BANANA PLANTS INTERCROPPED WITH WINTER COVER CROPS

Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura ◽

10.1590/0100-29452016729 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

Author(s):

RICARDO SFEIR DE AGUIAR ◽

PAULO VICENTE CONTADOR ZACCHEO ◽

CARMEN SILVIA VIEIRA JANEIRO NEVES ◽

MARCELO SFEIR DE AGUIAR ◽

FERNANDO TEIXEIRA DE OLIVEIRA

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Production Systems ◽

Soil Management ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Vegetative Development ◽

Chicken Litter ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops

ABSTRACT The use of cover crops species may be an important strategy in the pursuit of sustainability of agroecosystems, considering benefits to soil, such as improvements of physical and chemical characteristics, and weed control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of winter cover crops and other soil managements on chemical soil properties, on the cycle, on the production of the first cycle and on the fruit quality of banana cv. Nanicão Jangada in Andirá – PR, Brazil. The experiment was carried out in a commercial. Planting of banana suckers from the grower area occurred in the first half of March 2011, with a spacing of 2.40 m between rows and 1.90 m between plants. The experiment was designed in randomized blocks with four replications and six plants per plot. The six treatments were: black oat (Avenastrigosa Schreb), forage turnip (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleiferus), consortium of black oat and forage turnip, chicken litter, residues of banana plants, and bare ground. The evaluations were vegetative development and life cycle of banana plants, yield and quality of fruits, soil chemical characterstics, and fresh and dry mass of green manures. The results were submitted to ANOVA (F Test), and Tukey test at 5 % probability. Black oat and black oat with forage turnip consortium were superior in biomass production. Systems of soil management had no effect on the variables, except in the periods between planting and flowering and between planting and harvest, which were shorter in the treatment of soil management with crop residues, longer in the treatment with forage turnip, and intermediate in the other treatments.

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Assessing winter cover crop nutrient uptake efficiency using a water quality simulation model

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-18-5239-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 5239-5253 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

I.-Y. Yeo ◽

S. Lee ◽

A. M. Sadeghi ◽

P. C. Beeson ◽

W. D. Hively ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Nitrate Leaching ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Watershed Scale ◽

Source Areas ◽

Winter Cover Crop ◽

Nitrate Export ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops

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.

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Effect of Winter Cover Crop Residue on No-till Pumpkin Yield

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.42.7.1568 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 1568-1574 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Ryan Harrelson ◽

Greg D. Hoyt ◽

John L. Havlin ◽

David W. Monks

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Surface Residue ◽

No Till ◽

Wide Range ◽

Winter Cover Crop ◽

Winter Cover

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.

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Growing degree days and cover crop type explain weed biomass in winter cover crops

Agronomy for Sustainable Development ◽

10.1007/s13593-018-0543-1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 38 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Barbara Baraibar ◽

David A. Mortensen ◽

Mitchell C. Hunter ◽

Mary E. Barbercheck ◽

Jason P. Kaye ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Growing Degree Days ◽

Degree Days ◽

Weed Biomass ◽

Crop Type ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops

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No-till seeded spinach after winterkilled cover crops in an organic production system

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1017/s1742170514000301 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 473-485 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Natalie P. Lounsbury ◽

Ray R. Weil

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Spinacia Oleracea ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Field Work ◽

Early Spring ◽

Organic Production ◽

No Till ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops

AbstractOrganic no-till (NT) management strategies generally employ high-residue cover crops that act as weed-suppressing mulch. In temperate, humid regions such as the mid-Atlantic USA, high-residue winter cover crops can hinder early spring field work and immobilize nutrients for cash crops. This makes the integration of cover crops into rotations difficult for farmers, who traditionally rely on tillage to prepare seedbeds for early spring vegetables. Our objectives were to address two separate but related goals of reducing tillage and integrating winter cover crops into early spring vegetable rotations by investigating the feasibility of NT seeding spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), an early spring vegetable, into winterkilled cover crops. We conducted a four site-year field study in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of Maryland, USA, comparing seedbed conditions and spinach performance after forage radish (FR) (Raphanus sativus L.), a low-residue, winterkilled cover crop, spring oat (Avena sativa L.), the traditional winterkilled cover crop in the area, a mixture of radish and oat, and a no cover crop (NC) treatment. NT seeded spinach after FR had higher yields than all other cover crop and tillage treatments in one site year and was equal to the highest yielding treatments in two site years. Yield for NT spinach after FR was as high as 19 Mg ha−1 fresh weight, whereas the highest yield for spinach seeded into a rototilled seedbed after NC was 10 Mg ha−1. NT seeding spring spinach after a winterkilled radish cover crop is feasible and provides an alternative to both high-residue cover crops and spring tillage.

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Small grain winter cover crops for conservation of residual soil nitrogen in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300008948 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 66-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

F.J. Coale ◽

J.M. Costa ◽

G.A. Bollero ◽

S.P. Schlosnagle

Keyword(s):

Coastal Plain ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Atlantic Coastal Plain ◽

Residual Soil ◽

Soil N ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops ◽

Atlantic Coastal

AbstractCereal rye is an effective winter cover crop because it accumulates residual soil N and reduces nitrate leaching. Wheat, barley, and triticale are alternative winter small grain species that may be managed as winter cover crops and yet produce marketable commodities. The objectives of this research were to evaluate N recovery capacity and grain yields of wheat, barley, triticale, and cereal rye grown as winter cover crops. Field plots established in 1996 and 1997 at two different locations on Maryland's mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain were amended with annual spring applications of four rates of broiler litter in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Each manure rate plot was divided into four subplots by planting four winter small grain cover crops: wheat, barley, triticale, and cereal rye. Rye cover crop treatments were killed with herbicide when the plants were 30 to 50 cm tall, while the wheat, barley, and triticale treatments continued to grow until grain maturity. Barley, rye, triticale, and wheat cover crops exhibited similar capacities to accumulate soil N, and therefore, reduce the potential for NO3—N leaching to groundwater. At the time of rye kill-down, aerial biomass N accumulation ranged from 11 to 112 kg N ha−1 and soil NO3—N levels were low (<1.5 mg NO3—N kg−1) and relatively uniform across treatments. Average barley, triticale, and wheat grain yields increased with previous broiler litter application rate and initial soil NO3—N concentration. Potential income derived from the grain and straw produced could partially or completely offset cover crop production costs.

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UTILIZING LANDSAT AND SENTINEL-2 TO REMOTELY MONITOR AND EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF WINTER COVER CROPS THROUGHOUT MARYLAND

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-archives-xlii-3-w11-125-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol XLII-3/W11 ◽

pp. 125-130

Author(s):

J. Peredo ◽

C. Wayman ◽

B. Whong ◽

A. Thieme ◽

L. R. Kline ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Decision Support Tool ◽

The State ◽

Support Tool ◽

Crop Performance ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops ◽

Sentinel 2

Abstract. Winter cover crops have been shown to limit erosion and nutrient runoff from agricultural land. To promote their usage, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) subsidizes farmers who plant cover crops. Conventional verification of cover crop planting and analysis of subsequent crop performance requires on-the-ground fieldwork, which is costly and labor intensive. In partnership with the MDA, NASA's DEVELOP program utilized imagery from Landsat 5, Landsat 8, and the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 to create a decision support tool for satellite-based monitoring of cover crop performance throughout Maryland. Our teams created CCROP, an interactive graphical user interface, in Google Earth Engine which analyzes satellite imagery to calculate the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of fields across the state. Linear regression models were applied to convert NDVI to estimates of crop biomass and percent green ground cover, with measure of fit (R2) values ranging from 0.4 to 0.7. These crop metrics were implemented into an interactive filtering tool within CCROP which allows users to examine cover crop performance based on a variety of growing parameters. CCROP also includes a time series analysis routine for examining the progression of NDVI throughout the spring to help determine farmer-induced termination dates of cover crops. With this decision support tool, the MDA can analyze the effectiveness of cover crops throughout the state with reduced need to manually spot-check enrolled production fields, and can identify variables influencing overall cover crop performance to optimize implementation of their winter cover crop program via adaptive management approaches.

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Impacts of winter cover cropping on soil moisture and evapotranspiration in California's specialty crop fields may be minimal during winter months

California Agriculture ◽

10.3733/ca.2022a0001 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Alyssa DeVincentis ◽

Samuel Sandoval Solis ◽

Sloane Rice ◽

Daniele Zaccaria ◽

Richard Snyder ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Central Valley ◽

Cover Cropping ◽

Specialty Crop ◽

Almond Orchards ◽

Winter Cover ◽

Winter Cover Crops ◽

And Control

As fresh water supplies become more unreliable, variable and expensive, the water-related implications of sustainable agriculture practices such as cover cropping are drawing increasing attention from California's agricultural communities. However, the adoption of winter cover cropping remains limited among specialty crop growers who face uncertainty regarding the water use of this practice. To investigate how winter cover crops affect soil water and evapotranspiration on farm fields, we studied three systems that span climatic and farming conditions in California's Central Valley: processing tomato fields with cover crop, almond orchards with cover crop, and almond orchards with native vegetation. From 2016 to 2019, we collected soil moisture data (3 years of neutron hydroprobe and gravimetric tests at 10 field sites) and evapotranspiration measurements (2 years at two of 10 sites) in winter cover cropped and control (clean-cultivated, bare ground) plots during winter months. Generally, there were not significant differences in soil moisture between cover cropped and control fields throughout or at the end of the winter seasons, while evapo-transpirative losses due to winter cover crops were negligible relative to clean-cultivated soil. Our results suggest that winter cover crops in the Central Valley may break even in terms of actual consumptive water use. California growers of high-value specialty crops can likely adopt winter cover cropping without altering their irrigation plans and management practices.

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