A Regional Assessment of Four Green Manure/Cover Crop Species Suited to Tropical Southeast Asia

While maintaining adequate levels of soil fertility can be a challenge on any farm, maintaining those levels on the resource-limited smallholder farms of the tropics requires options that are also affordable, practical, and appropriate in such challenging conditions. This research endeavor was designed to compare the adaptability and potential of four legume species promoted as Green Manure/Cover Crops (GMCC’s) in Southeast Asia. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis), Lablab (Lablab purpureus), and Ricebean (Vigna umbellata) were planted in field trials in five diverse countries across Southeast Asia in 2016, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Data was collected to assess the production of above-ground biomass, percentage of ground cover, and timing of growth cycles at each site. Although results varied from country to country based on soil-type, climatic conditions, and growing degree days, Jackbean consistently outperformed other GMCC species in terms of biomass production, yielding up to 12 t ha-1 on a dry-weight basis in Bangladesh and the Philippines. Of the four crops compared, cowpea consistently delivered the shortest growth cycle, reaching the pod formation stage in the fewest number of days across all five sites. These results provide informative answers regarding the growth habits and life cycles of these four crops across five diverse sites, and serve to enhance the capability of smallholders in Southeast Asia to select appropriate species needed for soil improvement purposes in a wide-ranging set of cropping systems.

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Performance of lettuce in sole cropping and intercropping with green manures

Horticultura Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0102-05362010000100011 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 58-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ana Clarissa A Negrini ◽

Paulo César T de Melo ◽

Edmilson José Ambrosano ◽

Rogério Haruo Sakai ◽

Eliana Aparecida Schammass ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Green Manure ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Dry Weight ◽

White Lupin ◽

Green Manures ◽

Sole Crop ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Sole Cropping ◽

Number Of Leaves

The performance of lettuce in sole and intercropped with green manures was assessed under different establishment times. The lettuce fresh and dry weight, number of leaves per plant, diameter and length of head, and fresh and dry weight of green manure were evaluated. The intercropping design was additive and both cash and cover crops were planted in rows. The experimental design was of randomized complete blocks in split plot scheme, with six replicates. The plots represented the green manure sowing days (0, 20, 40 and 60 before transplanting of lettuce), and the sub-plots were assigned by cropping systems (lettuce in sole crop and intercropped with black oat, cowpea or white lupin). Simultaneous planting in the intercropping did not affect the lettuce performance. However, when the green manures were sown before lettuce, they influenced it in a negative way. Among the green manures, cowpea increased biomass and had a higher negative effect on lettuce performance compared to white lupin, which appeared to produce less competition. The sole crop and the intercropping with simultaneous planting of the green manures resulted in a better lettuce performance.

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Cover Crops for San Joaquin Valley Row Crop Production Systems

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.494e ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 494e-494

Author(s):

J.P. Mitchell ◽

T.S. Prather ◽

K.J. Hembree ◽

P.B. Goodell ◽

D.M. May ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Crop Production ◽

Production Systems ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Late Summer ◽

Dry Weight ◽

San Joaquin Valley ◽

Crop Species ◽

Windows Of Opportunity

There is currently considerable interest in the use of cover crops to improve the productivity and sustainability of agroecosystems in California. Adoption of cover crops into San Joaquin Valley row cropping systems has been slow, however, largely because growth characteristics of potentially suitable cover crop species and mixtures have not been identified for the tight windows of opportunity that exist within the region's intensive rotations, and because of uncertainy about the amount of water required to grow a cover crop. In 1995–96 and 1997–98, we screened 15 potential late-summer and winter cover crop species and mixtures planted monthly from 1 Aug. through 1 Nov. and harvested at 30-day intervals through March. In 1995–96, Sorghum-sudan produced 36,543 lb dry matter/acre and was the highest-producing late-summer species in a December-harvested August planting. Triticale and Merced rye were highest-producing winter species, yielding 19,277 and 10,155 lb dry weight/acre, respectively, during the 5-month period from October to March.

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Use of Crop Rotations, Cover Crops and Green Manures for Disease Suppression in Potato Cropping Systems

Global Journal of Agricultural Innovation Research & Development ◽

10.15377/2409-9813.2021.08.12 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 153-168

Author(s):

Robert P. Larkin

Keyword(s):

Disease Control ◽

Microbial Activity ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Green Manure ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Crop Rotations ◽

Disease Suppression ◽

Green Manures ◽

Rotation Crops

Crop rotations and the inclusion of cover crops and green manures are primary tools in the sustainable management of soil-borne diseases in crop production systems. Crop rotations can reduce soil-borne disease through three general mechanisms: (1) serving as a break in the host-pathogen cycle; (2) by altering the soil physical, chemical, or biological characteristics to stimulate microbial activity and diversity; or (3) directly inhibiting pathogens through the release of suppressive or toxic compounds or the enhancement of specific antagonists. Brassicas, sudangrass, and related plant types are disease-suppressive crops well-known for their biofumigation potential but also have other effects on soil microbiology that are important in disease suppression. The efficacy of rotations for reducing soil-borne diseases is dependent on several factors, including crop type, rotation length, rotation sequence, and use of the crop (as full-season rotation, cover crop, or green manure). Years of field research with Brassica and non-Brassica rotation crops in potato cropping systems in Maine have documented the efficacy of Brassica green manures for the reduction of multiple soil-borne diseases. However, they have also indicated that these crops can provide disease control even when not incorporated as green manures and that other non-biofumigant crops (such as barley, ryegrass, and buckwheat) can also be effective in disease suppression. In general, all crops provided better disease control when used as green manure vs. as a cover crop, but the addition of a cover crop can improve control provided by most rotation crops. In long-term cropping system trials, rotations incorporating multiple soil health management practices, such as longer rotations, disease-suppressive rotation crops, cover crops, and green manures, and/or organic amendments have resulted in greater yield and microbial activity and fewer disease problems than standard rotations. These results indicate that improved cropping systems may enhance productivity, sustainability, and economic viability.

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Nitrogen fixation in summer-grown soybean crops and fate of fixed-N over a winter fallow in subtropical sugarcane systems

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr19044 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 (8) ◽

pp. 845

Author(s):

Lee J. Kearney ◽

Emma Dutilloy ◽

Terry J. Rose

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

N2 Fixation ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Peat Soils ◽

N Losses ◽

Soybean Residue ◽

Glycine Max L ◽

Winter Fallow

Legumes including soybeans (Glycine max L.) can provide substantial nitrogen (N) inputs into cropping systems when grown as a part of a rotation. However, in the wet subtropics where land is fallowed for 4–6 months after soybean crops before planting of sugarcane (Saccharum L. spp. hybrids), climatic conditions over winter can be conducive to rapid mineralisation of N from residues with consequent N losses through nitrate leaching or denitrification processes. Using 15N natural abundance methodology, we estimated N2 fixation in 12 summer-grown soybean crops in the Australian wet subtropics, and tracked the fate of soybean residue-N from brown manure crops (residue from plants at late pod-filling left on the soil surface) using 15N-labelled residue in three of these fields over the winter fallow period. Disregarding two poor crops, N2 fixation ranged from 100–290 kg N ha–1 in shoots at mid pod-filling, equating to 170–468 kg N ha–1 including estimated root N contributions. Following the winter fallow, 61 and 68% of soybean residue-N was recovered in clay and peat soils respectively, to 0.9 m depth at one location (Coraki) but only 55% of residue-N could be accounted for to 0.9 m depth in a sandy soil at another location (Ballina). In addition, around 20% of the recovered 15N at this site was located at 0.3–0.6 m depth in the soil profile. Our results indicate that substantial loss of soybean residue-N can occur during winter fallows in the wet subtropics, suggesting that winter cover crops may be necessary to retain N in fields and minimise losses to the environment.

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Comparison of the Allelopathic Potential of Leguminous Summer Cover Crops: Cowpea, Sunn Hemp, and Velvetbean

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.42.2.289 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 289-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Michael J. Adler ◽

Carlene A. Chase

Keyword(s):

Plant Height ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Bell Pepper ◽

Weed Species ◽

Crop Species ◽

Allelopathic Potential ◽

Sunn Hemp ◽

Germination And Growth

The phytotoxicity of aqueous foliar extracts and ground dried residues of sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. cv. Iron Clay], and velvetbean [Mucuna deeringiana (Bort) Merr.] to crop and weed germination and growth was evaluated to compare the allelopathic potential of the cover crops. By 14 days after treatment (DAT), goosegrass [Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn.] germination with 5% aqueous extracts of all cover crops (w/v fresh weight basis) was similar and greater than 75% of control. However, with the 10% extracts, goosegrass germination was lowest with cowpea extract, intermediate with velvetbean extract, and highest with sunn hemp extract. Livid amaranth (Amaranthus lividus L.) germination declined to ≈50% with cowpea and sunn hemp extracts and even lower to 22% with velvetbean extract. The suppression of livid amaranth germination was greater with the 10% extracts than the 5% extracts. Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) germination was unaffected by velvetbean extract, inhibited more by the 5% cowpea extract than the 10% extract, and was also sensitive to the 10% sunn hemp extract. All cover crop extracts resulted in an initial delay in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) germination, but by 14 DAT, inhibition of germination was apparent only with cowpea extract. The phytotoxicity of ground dried residues of the three cover crops on germination, plant height, and dry weight of goosegrass, smooth amaranth (A. hybridus L.), bell pepper, and tomato was evaluated in greenhouse studies. Goosegrass germination was inhibited in a similar manner by residues of the three cover crops to 80% or less of control. Smooth amaranth germination, plant height, and dry biomass were more sensitive to sunn hemp residues than to cowpea and velvetbean residues. Bell pepper germination, plant height, and dry weight were greater than 90% of control except for dry weight with cowpea residue, which was only 78% of control. The greatest effect of cover crop residue on tomato occurred with dry weight, because dry weights with cowpea and sunn hemp were only 76% and 69% of control, respectively, and lower than with velvetbean. There was more evidence of cover crop phytotoxicity with the weed species than with the crop species and cowpea extracts and residue affected all species more consistently than those of sunn hemp and velvetbean.

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An Evaluation of Summer Cover Crops for Use in Vegetable Production Systems in North Carolina

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.35.4.600 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 600-603 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Nancy G. Creamer ◽

Keith R. Baldwin

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Aboveground Biomass ◽

Production Systems ◽

Pennisetum Glaucum ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Foxtail Millet ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Vegetable Crops ◽

Lablab Purpureus ◽

Sorghum Sudangrass

Summer cover crops can produce biomass, contribute nitrogen to cropping systems, increase soil organic matter, and suppress weeds. Through fixation of atmospheric N2 and uptake of soil residual N, they also contribute to the N requirement of subsequent vegetable crops. Six legumes {cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.), sesbania (Sesbania exaltata L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsutum L.), velvetbean [Mucuna deeringiana (Bort.) Merr.], and lablab (Lablab purpureus L.)}; two nonlegume broadleaved species [buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) and sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)]; and five grasses {sorghum-sudangrass [Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench × S. sudanense (P) Stapf.], sudangrass [S. sudanense (P) Stapf.], Japanese millet [Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) Link], pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L). R. Br.], and German foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.)]}, were planted in raised beds alone or in mixtures in 1995 at Plymouth, and in 1996 at Goldsboro, N.C. Biomass production for the legumes ranged from 1420 (velvetbean) to 4807 kg·ha-1 (sesbania). Low velvetbean biomass was attributed to poor germination in this study. Nitrogen in the aboveground biomass for the legumes ranged from 32 (velvetbean) to 97 kg·ha-1 (sesbania). All of the legumes except velvetbean were competitive with weeds. Lablab did not suppress weeds as well as did cover crops producing higher biomass. Aboveground biomass for grasses varied from 3918 (Japanese millet) to 8792 kg·ha-1 (sorghum-sudangrass). While N for the grasses ranged from 39 (Japanese millet) to 88 kg·ha-1 (sorghum-sudangrass), the C: N ratios were very high. Additional N would be needed for fall-planted vegetable crops to overcome immobilization of N. All of the grass cover crops reduced weeds as relative to the weedy control plot. Species that performed well together as a mixture at both sites included Japanese millet/soybean and sorghum-sudangrass/cowpea.

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Produção de rabanete sob o efeito residual da adubação verde no consórcio de beterraba e rúcula

Revista Verde de Agroecologia e Desenvolvimento Sustentável ◽

10.18378/rvads.v10i5.3690 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 98

Author(s):

A. K. Oliveira ◽

J. S. S. Lima ◽

A. M. A. Bezerra ◽

G. S. O. Rodrigues ◽

M. L. S. Medeiros

Keyword(s):

Green Manure ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Block Design ◽

Residual Effect ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Soil Improvement ◽

Productive Capacity ◽

Randomized Complete Block Design ◽

Promising Practice ◽

Commercial Yield

Sistemas de cultivo com incorporação de adubos verdes podem preservar a capacidade produtiva do solo em longo prazo, oferecendo resíduos que proporcionarão melhorias nas condições físicas, química e biológica do solo tornando-o propício para a implantação de uma cultura sucedente. Diante disso, o trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar produção de rabanete sob o efeito residual da adubação verde no consórcio de beterraba e rúcula. O delineamento experimental usado foi em blocos casualizados com cinco repetições. Os tratamentos utilizados foram o efeito residual de quatro quantidades de flor-de-seda incorporadas ao solo (10, 25, 40 e 55 t ha-¹ em base seca). As características avaliadas na cultura do rabanete foram: altura e diâmetro de plantas, número de folhas, produtividade total e comercial de raízes, massa seca da parte aérea e de raízes. O efeito residual da incorporação de flor-de-seda ao solo na quantidade de 55 t ha-¹ proporcionou a maior produtividade de raízes comerciais de rabanete, e assim podemos afirmar que a adubação verde com flor-de-seda apresenta-se como uma prática promissora para o produtor de hortaliças em cultivo sucessivo.Radish production under the residual effect of green manure in the consortium beet and arugulaAbstract: Cropping systems in with incorporation of green manures can preserve the productive capacity of the soil over time providing waste to the soil improvement in the conditions physical, chemical and biological, making it suitable for the implementation of a succeeding crop. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the radish production under the residual effect of green manure in the consortium beet and arugula. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with five replications. The treatments were the residual effect of four amounts of fleur-de-silk incorporated into the soil (10, 25, 40 and 55 t ha-¹ dry basis). The characteristics evaluated in the radish production were: plant height, diameter, total and commercial yield of roots, dry weight of shoots and roots. The residual effect of the fleur-de-silk incorporation into the soil in the amount of 55 t ha-¹ provided the highest yield of commercial radish roots. The green manure with fleur-de-silk was presented as a promising practice for the producer of vegetables in succeeding crop.

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In Field Measurements of Nitrogen Mineralization following Fall Applications of N and the Termination of Winter Cover Crops

Air Soil and Water Research ◽

10.4137/aswr.s13861 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. ASWR.S13861 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Corey G. Lacey ◽

Shalamar D. Armstrong

Keyword(s):

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Inorganic N ◽

Crop Species ◽

N Application ◽

Cereal Rye ◽

And Control ◽

The Impact

Little is known about the timing and quantity of nitrogen (N) mineralization from cover crop residue following cover crop termination. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the impact of cover crop species on the return of fall applied N to the soil in the spring following chemical and winter terminations. Fall N was applied (200 kg N ha−1) into a living stand of cereal rye, tillage radish, and control (no cover crop). After chemical termination in the spring, soil samples were collected weekly and were analyzed for inorganic N (NO3-N and NH4-N) to investigate mineralization over time. Cereal rye soil inorganic N concentrations were similar to that of the control in both the spring of 2012 and 2013. Fall N application into tillage radish, cereal rye, and control plots resulted in an average 91, 57, and 66% of the fall N application rate as inorganic N in the spring at the 0-20 cm depth, respectively. The inclusion of cover crops into conventional cropping systems stabilized N at the soil surface and has the potential to improve the efficiency of fall applied N.

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Glucosinolate Production by Five Field-GrownBrassica napusCultivars Used as Green Manures

Weed Technology ◽

10.1017/s0890037x00044596 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 712-718 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Charlotte V. Eberlein ◽

Matthew J. Morra ◽

Mary J. Guttieri ◽

Paul D. Brown ◽

Jack Brown

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Biomass Production ◽

Green Manure ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Field Trials ◽

Early Spring ◽

Green Manures ◽

Winter Rape ◽

Glucosinolate Concentration

Winter rape (Brassica napusL.) green manures have shown potential for erosion control and suppression of weeds and other pests in potato cropping systems. However, little information on residue cover, biomass production, glucosinolate concentration, and glucosinolate production with winter rape grown as a green manure is available. In field trials in southern Idaho, ‘Aspen,’ ‘Bridger,’ ‘Cascade,’ ‘Dwarf Essex,’ and ‘Humus’ winter rape were planted in mid-August and incorporated the following spring in late April or early May. All five cultivars provided > 80% fall, winter, and early spring residue cover. Winter rape dry weight just before incorporation was 2,880 to 4,462 kg/ha in 1994 and 5,438 to 7,837 kg/ha in 1995. The major glucosinolate in roots of all five cultivars was phenylethyl glucosinolate; the major glucosinolates in shoots were 4-pentenyl, 2-hydroxybutenyl, 3-butenyl, and 2-hydroxypentenyl glucosinolate. Glucosinolate concentrations varied between years, but concentrations were higher in Dwarf Essex and Humus than in Aspen both years. Glucosinolate production per hectare also was highest in Dwarf Essex and Humus and lowest in Aspen. Dwarf Essex and Humus produced higher amounts of isothiocyanate (ITC) and oxazolidinethione (OZT)-producing glucosinolates than Aspen, Bridger, or Cascade, and therefore may be better biofumigants.

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Extreme Grain-Based Cropping Systems: When Herbicide-Free Weed Management Meets Conservation Tillage in Northern Climates

Weed Technology ◽

10.1614/wt-d-12-00074.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 204-211 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Anne Légère ◽

Steven J. Shirtliffe ◽

Anne Vanasse ◽

Robert H. Gulden

Keyword(s):

Weed Control ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Green Manure ◽

Conservation Tillage ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Red Clover ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Low Input ◽

No Till ◽

Green Manure Crops

The challenges associated with the adoption of conservation tillage and/or low-input cropping systems, whether organic or herbicide-free, across Canada are shaped by scale, environment, and local practices. A study in eastern Canada captured the challenges of introducing low-input cropping systems in mature (20+ yr) tillage treatments in a barley/red clover/corn/soybean rotation. Each mature tillage system came with its own weed problems, but this did not affect crops such as barley and red clover, which produced similar yields across high and low input systems. However, some form of primary tillage was needed to achieve adequate weed control and yield in organic (ORG) and herbicide-free (HF) systems. The HF and ORG systems with no-till actually failed to produce a corn crop but produced soybean yields that were half or less than that for other treatments. The successful combination of conservation tillage practices and low-input systems in eastern Canada would thus appear to be crop-specific, being easier to achieve in competitive cereal crops. In western Canadian organic agriculture, tillage is practiced with low-disturbance chisel plows instead of inversion plows. However, green manure crops (summer cover crops) are often terminated with tandem discs. Both roller crimpers and mowing can successfully kill annual green manure crops such as field pea and rye, and usually result in reduced weed growth following termination. However, the lack of tillage can result in lower crop yields in wheat following green manure terminated by roller crimping compared to tillage. Challenges for no-till organic practices include perennial weed control and soil fertility. Overall, flexible crop production programs such as the former Manitoba Pesticide Free Production program and the “Agriculture raisonnéeTM” program in Québec are more likely to promote sustained environmental, economic, and social prosperity than rigid adherence to organic or no-till practices.

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