Phenotypic and Nodule Microbial Diversity among Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) Accessions

Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) is the most common legume cover crop in the United States. Previous research found limited genetic variation for crimson clover within the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) collection. The aim of this study was to assess the phenotypic and nodule microbial diversity within the NPGS crimson clover collection, focusing on traits important for cover crop performance. Experiments were conducted at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (Maryland, USA) across three growing seasons (2012–2013, 2013–2014, 2014–2015) to evaluate 37 crimson clover accessions for six phenotypic traits: fall emergence, winter survival, flowering time, biomass per plant, nitrogen (N) content in aboveground biomass, and proportion of plant N from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Accession effect was significant across all six traits. Fall emergence of plant introductions (PIs) ranged from 16.0% to 70.5%, winter survival ranged from 52.8% to 82.0%, and growing degree days (GDD) to 25% maturity ranged from 1470 GDD to 1910 GDD. Biomass per plant ranged from 1.52 to 6.51 g, N content ranged from 1.87% to 2.24%, and proportion of plant N from BNF ranged from 50.2% to 85.6%. Accessions showed particularly clear differences for fall emergence and flowering time, indicating greater diversity and potential for selection in cover crop breeding programs. Fall emergence and winter survival were positively correlated, and both were negatively correlated with biomass per plant and plant N from BNF. A few promising lines performed well across multiple key traits, and are of particular interest as parents in future breeding efforts, including PIs 369045, 418900, 561943, 561944, and 655006. In 2014–2015, accessions were also assessed for nodule microbiome diversity, and 11 genera were identified across the sampled nodules. There was large variation among accessions in terms of species diversity, but this diversity was not associated with observed plant traits, and the functional implications of nodule microbiome diversity remain unclear.

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Evaluating Cover Crops and Herbicides for Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) Control in Cotton

Weed Technology ◽

10.1614/wt-d-15-00113.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 415-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Matthew S. Wiggins ◽

Robert M. Hayes ◽

Lawrence E. Steckel

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

The United States ◽

Palmer Amaranth ◽

Amaranthus Palmeri ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

Legume Cover Crops ◽

Herbicide Programs

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds, especially GR Palmer amaranth, are very problematic in cotton-producing areas of the midsouthern region of the United States. Growers rely heavily on PRE residual herbicides to control Palmer amaranth since few effective POST options exist. Interest in integrating high-residue cover crops with existing herbicide programs to combat GR weeds has increased. Research was conducted in 2013 and 2014 in Tennessee to evaluate GR Palmer amaranth control when integrating cover crops and PRE residual herbicides. Cereal rye, crimson clover, hairy vetch, winter wheat, and combinations of one grass plus one legume were compared with winter weeds without a cover crop followed by fluometuron or acetochlor applied PRE. Biomass of cover crops was determined prior to termination 3 wk before planting. Combinations of grass and legume cover crops accumulated the most biomass (> 3,500 kg ha−1) but by 28 d after application (DAA) the cereal rye and wheat provided the best Palmer amaranth control. Crimson clover and hairy vetch treatments had the greatest number of Palmer amaranth. These cereal and legume blends reduced Palmer amaranth emergence by half compared to non–cover-treated areas. Fluometuron and acetochlor controlled Palmer amaranth 95 and 89%, respectively, at 14 DAA and 54 and 62%, respectively, at 28 DAA. Cover crops in combination with a PRE herbicide did not adequately control Palmer amaranth.

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COVER CROP AND NITROGEN FERTILIZER RATE INFLUENCES ON YIELDS OF SEQUENTIALLY PLANTED VEGETABLES

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.27.6.570c ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 570c-570

Author(s):

Owusu A. Bandele ◽

Marion Javius ◽

Byron Belvitt ◽

Oscar Udoh

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Fertilizer Rate ◽

Vicia Villosa ◽

Trifolium Incarnatum ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

Summer Squash ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate ◽

Mustard Green ◽

N Rates

Fall-planted cover crops of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense L. Poir), and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) were each followed by spring-planted 'Sundance' summer squash [Cucurbita pepo var. melopepo (L.) Alef.] and 'Dasher' cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Squash and cucumber crops were followed by fall 'Florida Broadleaf mustard green [Brassica juncea (L.) Czerniak] and 'Vates' collard (Brassica oleracea L. Acephala group), respectively. The same vegetable sequences were also planted without benefit of cover crop. Three nitrogen (N) rates were applied to each vegetable crop. Squash following winter pea and crimson clover produced greater yields than did squash planted without preceding cover crop. Cucumber following crimson clover produced the greatest yields. No cover crop effect was noted with mustard or collard. Elimination of N fertilizer resulted in reduced yields for all crops, but yields of crops with one-half the recommended N applied were generally comparable to those receiving the full recommended rate.

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Evaluation of Organic Spring Cover Crop Termination Practices to Enhance Rolling/Crimping

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9090519 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 519

Author(s):

Price ◽

Duzy ◽

McElroy ◽

Keyword(s):

Cover Crop ◽

Conservation Tillage ◽

The United States ◽

Clove Oil ◽

Hairy Vetch ◽

Brassica Napus L ◽

Crop Species ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

Clear Plastic

With organic farming hectarage and cover crop interest increasing throughout the United States, effectively timed cover crop termination practices are needed that can be utilized in organic conservation tillage production systems. Four commercially available termination treatments approved by Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) were evaluated, immediately following mechanical termination with a cover crop roller/crimper and compared to a synthetic herbicide termination to access termination rates. Treatments included rolling/crimping followed by (1) 20% vinegar solution (28 L a.i. ha−1 acetic acid), (2) 2.5 L a.i. ha−1 45% cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum L.) oil (cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, eugenol acetate)/45% clove oil (eugenol, acetyl eugenol, caryophyllene) mixture, (3) 0.15 mm clear polyethylene sheeting applied with edges manually tucked into the soil for 28 days over the entire plot area (clear plastic), (4) broadcast flame emitting 1100 °C applied at 1.2 k/h (flame), (5) glyphosate applied at 1.12 kg a.i. ha−1 (this non-OMRI-approved, non-organic conservation tillage cover crop termination standard practice was included to help ascertain desiccation, regrowth, and economics), and (6) a non-treated control. Five cover crop species were evaluated: (1) hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), (2) crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), (3) cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), (4) Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum L.), and (5) rape (Brassica napus L.). Three termination timings occurred at four-week intervals beginning mid-March each year. In April or May, organic producers are most likely to be successful using a roller crimper as either a broadcast flamer for terminating all winter covers evaluated, or utilizing clear plastic for hairy vetch, winter peas, and cereal rye. Ineffectiveness and regrowth concerns following cover crop termination in March are substantial. Commercially available vinegar and cinnamon/clove oil solutions provided little predictable termination, and producers attempting to use these OMRI-approved products will likely resort to cover crop incorporation, or mowing, to terminate covers if no other practice is readily available.

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Single- versus Double-Species Cover Crop Effects on Soil Health and Yield in Mississippi Soybean Fields

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11112334 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 2334

Author(s):

Heather L. Tyler

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Management Practices ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Soil Health ◽

Trifolium Incarnatum ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

No Till ◽

Secale Cereale L ◽

Species Cover

Conservation management practices can improve soil health while minimizing deleterious effects of agriculture on the environment. However, adoption of these practices, particularly cover crops, is not widespread, as they often reduce crop yields compared to traditional management practices. The purpose of the current study was to determine if a two-species cover crop treatment of rye (Secale cereale L.) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) could increase soil health parameters and maximize soybean (Glycine max L.) yield greater than rye only in tilled and no-till Mississippi field soils. Enhanced microbial biomass and organic matter input from cover crops increased the activities of β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, N-acetylglucosaminidase, and phosphatase in surface soils. Rye plus clover tended to elicit higher activities than rye only in no-till plots. Both cover crop treatments inhibited soybean yield in tilled plots by 11–25%. These results indicate that tillage exacerbates yield inhibition by cover crops in soybean and that double-species cover crop treatments were more consistent in increasing activities linked to nutrient cycling. Further study examining different combinations of cover crops in no-till systems is necessary to gain a better understanding of how they can be implemented to enhance soil health while maximizing crop yield.

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64 Effects of grazing cool-season cover crops on forage and animal performance

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz397.045 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 20-21

Author(s):

Russell C Carrell ◽

Sandra L Dillard ◽

Mary K Mullenix ◽

Audrey Gamble ◽

Russ B Muntifering

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Health ◽

Cool Season ◽

Cash Crop ◽

Trifolium Incarnatum ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

And Performance ◽

Total Gain

Abstract Utilization of cool-season cover crops has been shown to increase soil health and cash crop performance in minimum tillage cash crop systems. Though evidence that grazing of cover crops can be viable is limited. Our objective was to determine animal and forage performance when grazing a cool-season annual cover-crop. Twelve 1.2 ha pastures were established in a forage mix consisting of black oats (Avena strigose), cereal rye (Secale cereal), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), and T-raptor (Brassica napus × B. rapa) and randomly allocated to be grazed either 0, 30, 60, or 90 days. Three tester steers were randomly placed in each paddock with the exception of control paddocks and allowed ad libitum grazing. Animals were weighed every 30 d for determination ADG and total gain (TG). Forage was harvested bi-weekly and analyzed for NDF and ADF using an ANKOM fiber analyzer (ANKOM Tech, Macedon, NY). All data were analyzed using MIXED procedure of SAS version 9.4 (SAS Inst., Cary, NC). Differences were found in ADG between 90 and 60 days grazed (4.2 ± 0.12 vs. 2.8 ± 0.12 kg/d; P < 0.01) and 90 and 30 days grazed (4.2 ± 0.12 vs 2.7 ± 0.12 kg/d; P < 0.01). Differences in TG were detected between 90 and 60 days grazed (819 ± 13.35 vs. 386.67 ± 13.35 kg; P < 0.01), between 90 and 30 days grazed (819 ± 13.35 vs 261.33 ± 13.35 kg; P < 0.01), and between 60 and 30 days grazed (386.67 ± 13.35 vs 261.33 ± 13.35 kg, P < 0.01). No differences in NDF (44.86%, P = 0.99) or ADF (27.20%, P = 0.92) were detected between treatments. These results indicate that different grazing periods could influence cattle growth and performance without negatively impacting forage quality and production.

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Green manuring with crimson clover as an alternative to mineral fertilization in maize production

The holistic approach to environment ◽

10.33765/thate.11.4.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 102-108

Author(s):

Ljubica Ambrušec ◽

Ranko Gantner ◽

Goran Herman ◽

Vesna Gantner ◽

Krešimir Bošnjak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crop ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Mineral Fertilization ◽

Maize Crop ◽

Maize Production ◽

Trifolium Incarnatum ◽

Green Manuring ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

Crop Research

Role of mineral fertilizers is to complement the soils’ indigenous supply of minerals for crop plants nutrition. Among the mineral nutrients, nitrogen is generally considered as the most yield-contributing. Obtaining nitrogen from legumes is potentially more sustainable than from industrial sources. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) has long been appreciated as cover crop grown for green manuring due to its capability for binding the atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available form. Green manuring effects of crimson clover for succeeding maize crop were tested in 2019 year on two locations of Northeastern Croatia differing in soil texture: 1) on the site A where the soil was compact and dominated by clay and 2) on the site B where the soil was loose and dominated by loam. The research was conducted in a year with favourable rainfall during maize vegetation. Results have shown that green manuring with crimson clover for maize as the main crop delivered somewhat lower maize grain and aboveground mass yields than the conventional full-dose mineral fertilization on deep fertile soils around Osijek (Northeastern Croatia). When compared to conventional agronomy, green manuring was associated with additional agrotechnical operations required for crimson clover cover crop establishment and its herbage incorporation into soil prior to seeding main maize crop. Research should be continued in more different environments (year × location combinations) in order to produce reliable evaluation of crimson clover’s green manuring services.

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65 Effects of grazing cool-season cover crops on forage and animal performance

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz397.067 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 29-30

Author(s):

Russell C Carrell ◽

Sandra L Dillard ◽

Mary K Mullenix ◽

Audrey Gamble ◽

Russ B Muntifering

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Soil Health ◽

Cool Season ◽

Cash Crop ◽

Trifolium Incarnatum ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

Crimson Clover ◽

And Performance ◽

Total Gain

Abstract Utilization of cool-season cover crops has been shown to increase soil health and cash crop performance in minimum tillage cash crop systems. Though evidence that grazing of cover crops can be viable is limited. Our objective was to determine animal and forage performance when grazing a cool-season annual cover-crop. Twelve 1.2 ha pastures were established in a forage mix consisting of black oats (Avena strigose), cereal rye (Secale cereal), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), and T-raptor (Brassica napus × B. rapa) and randomly allocated to be grazed either 0, 30, 60, or 90 days. Three tester steers were randomly placed in each paddock with the exception of control paddocks and allowed ad libitum grazing. Animals were weighed every 30 d for determination ADG and total gain (TG). Forage was harvested bi-weekly and analyzed for NDF and ADF using an ANKOM fiber analyzer (ANKOM Tech, Macedon, NY). All data was analyzed using MIXED procedure of SAS version 9.4 (SAS Inst., Cary, NC). Differences were found in ADG between 90 and 60 days grazed (4.2 ± 0.12 vs. 2.8 ± 0.12 kg/d; P < 0.01) and 90 and 30 days grazed (4.2 ± 0.12 vs 2.7 ± 0.12 kg/d; P < 0.01). Differences in TG were detected between 90 and 60 days grazed (819 ± 13.35 vs. 386.67 ± 13.35 kg; P < 0.01), between 90 and 30 days grazed (819 ± 13.35 vs 261.33 ± 13.35 kg; P < 0.01), and between 60 and 30 days grazed (386.67 ± 13.35 vs 261.33 ± 13.35 kg, P < 0.01). No differences in NDF (44.86%, P = 0.99) or ADF (27.20%, P = 0.92) were detected between treatments. These results indicate that different grazing periods could influence cattle growth and performance without negatively impacting forage quality and production.

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