Interseeding of Cover Crops to Improve Cover Crop Establishment and Performance PDF Download
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Author: Ed Peachey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 12
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Book Description
Author: Ed Peachey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 12
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Book Description
Author: Andy Clark
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437903797
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 248
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Book Description
Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.
Author: Connor Zachary Youngerman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 232
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Book Description
Winter cover crops provide a suite of benefits but their use is limited because there is often not enough time after harvesting crops in the fall to establish cover crops before winter. Problems with establishment may be overcome by interseeding, where cover crops are seeded between rows of cash crops prior to harvest. Interseeded cover crops can provide greater ecosystem services than cover crops established after harvest, including erosion control and weed suppression. In addition to these services, interseeded cover crops might also provide habitat for invertebrate seed predators such as carabid beetles and crickets, which feed on weed seeds. We established a field experiment to investigate how cash crop planting density affects interseeded cover crop performance during the transition to certified organic production. We measured corn density, light transmission through the corn canopy, cover crop and weed biomass, and corn grain yield. We analyzed the relationship between these factors with regression, mixed models, path analysis, and partial correlation. The effect of corn density on interseeded cover crop biomass was significant when quantified both directly and indirectly as mediated by light transmission and weed biomass. At the October sample date, weed biomass was 31% lower in plots with interseeded cover crops than plots without, and corn grain yield was not different between plots with interseeded cover crops and plots without. We also conducted a laboratory experiment to explore the potential for cover crop seeds to be eaten by weed seed predators. Using four common invertebrate weed seed predators and a series of No Choice and Choice feeding assays, we presented seeds of ten cover crop species and three weed species to individual carabid beetles and crickets. We analyzed No Choice preference with logistic regression and Choice with Vanderploeg and Scavia’s electivity index and mixed models. We found that all four invertebrate seed predators consumed cover crop seeds and that preference varied by plant species and insect species. Overall results show that cover crop interseeding can be used to overcome one of the primary barriers to cover crop adoption and provide ecosystem services, but that cover crop seeds are susceptible to seed predation and thus cover crop species selection and seeding method are important to consider.
Author: Katherine Caswell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
To address the need for diversified weed management and innovative methods of cover crop incorporation, two distinct experiments were performed. The first, was based in a diverse, no-till dairy cropping systems study was established in 2010 seeking to produce enough feed, forage, and fuel to supply a 65-cow, 97 hectare dairy farm in Pennsylvania while minimizing off farm inputs. A 6-year diverse crop rotation, the Pest Management rotation, evaluated strategies that attempted to reduce herbicide inputs and the risk of herbicide resistant weeds. The rotation was composed of a sequence of annual crops, cover crops, and a perennial hay crop. A Reduced Herbicide (RH) treatment was compared to a Standard Herbicide (SH) treatment that was more reliant on chemical weed control. Both treatments utilized Integrated Weed Management where the RH treatment incorporated more cultural and mechanical methods of control. Management was altered in 2013 to address challenges faced in the first three years and results of 2013-2015 are analyzed here. Weed management was evaluated for the corn silage and soybean portion of the rotation as this is where the most intensive weed management occurs. The RH and SH treatments were compared based on crop yield, weed biomass, and net return to the farm enterprise. Both the RH and SH treatments generally maintained adequate weed control during 2013-2015 but biomass was generally greater in RH. Soybean yield varied between the treatment in one year, but these differences were not attributed to weed biomass. A greater net return to the farm was seen under SH management in soybean and RH in corn silage. The second study sought to address cover crop adoption in the Northeast, that has been slow and limited due to a number of factors. Farmers are faced with a constricted time window for cover crop planting following harvest and before weather conditions prevent fall growth. Multiple methods have been evaluated to expand this restricted planting window including aerial seeding, underseeding and relay intercropping. All of these methods face additional challenges in no-till production systems. Researchers at Penn State developed an innovative cover crop interseeder to address establishment restrictions in no-till grain production. After design of the machine was completed, a number of successful intseeder cover crops needed to be selected. A successful interseeded cover crop may require traits that are not normally associated with post-harvest established cover crops. These species need to tolerate low light and moisture conditions while being able to establish. Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) has been shown to be a strong candidate for interseeding in earlier studies and a trial was conducted to test different varieties for interseeding ability. A Species Trial was conducted to evaluate different grass and legume species in either corn or soybean. These trials were conducted in Pennsylvania (PA), New York (NY), and Maryland (MD). Several species were shown to be better candidates for interseeding based on fall and spring biomass. These species were: Medium Red Clover (Trifolium pretense), Annual ryegrass, and Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.). The annual ryegrass trial showed similar performance across varieties with few performing better than others. A better understanding of appropriate cover crop selection can be used in conjunction with ongoing work with herbicide selection to create recommendations for farmers.
Author: Rafiq Islam
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000407144
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 534
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Book Description
This book will not serve as the "encyclopedia of cover crop management," but it’s close. The benefits of a wide range of individual cover crops and blends/mixes for specific agronomic crop rotations and geographic locations are included. Descriptions, photographs, and illustrations show how cover crops look in the field, including plant height, leaf architecture, and rooting patterns. Long term benefits are described for soil health, soil structure, water quality, nutrient contributions, soil biodiversity, air quality and climate change. In addition to the "whys" of cover crop use, the book includes details on the "hows:" how to choose cover crops for specific applications and locations; how (and when) to plant; how to manage and maintain the cover for maximum benefit; and how and when to terminate. Planting options include: drilling/planting between rows of an agronomic crop at planting time, or when the crop is short (i.e. corn in early June); "aerial" seeding with an airplane or high-clearance machine shortly before the crop reaches maturity; and drilling/planting immediately after harvest of the agronomic crop. Selected cover crops (blends) can help with pest and disease management. Cover crops are an economic input with an expected return on investment, similar to pesticides and fertilizer. As part of a continuous no-till system, cover crops provide long-term biological, chemical and structural benefits. The resulting increase in soil organic matter means the agronomic crop yields benefit from better water infiltration and water holding capacity, greater availability of nitrogen and other nutrients, deeper rooting, and increased soil microbial activity in the root zone.
Author: Taylor J. Sievers
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agricultural systems
Languages : en
Pages : 236
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Book Description
Midwestern farmers face the dual challenge of increasing crop production while reducing environmental impacts. Best management practices to decrease nutrient and soil loss in agronomic systems has fueled the resurgence of the cover cropping practice, but many growers are uncertain about the effects that different cover crop species may have in their fields or how combinations of tillage and cover crops may influence yields or soil characteristics. Different cover crop characteristics, such as above and belowground biomass production, nitrogen content, and decomposition may affect both soils and crop yields. Field experiments were conducted across two sites in southern Illinois from 2013 to 2015 to study characteristics of cover crops and the impact of cover crops and tillage on soils, nutrient availability, and agronomic field crop performance. Specifically, these studies 1) determine the effects of cover crops on soil nitrogen, 2) quantify above and belowground biomass production of cover crops, 3) quantify the grain yield and belowground biomass of the following crops of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybeans ( Glycine max L. Merr.), and 4) evaluate cover crop decomposition and nutrient release of a leguminous and non-leguminous species. In both field sites, Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) treatments produced the most biomass and accumulated the most nitrogen of all cover crop treatments. Cover crop establishment was a problem for the 2014--2015 field season. Cover crops, for the most part, did not have an influence on corn or soybean grain yields, except that corn following Hairy vetch treatments tended to be higher in grain yields than corn following Annual ryegrass treatments. Soybeans following Annual ryegrass treatments tended to be higher in grain yield than soybeans following Canola treatments. Root biomass production was higher for cover cropped plots than non-cover cropped plots (weed root biomass), and corn or soybean root biomass was more affected by tillage practices rather than the main effect of cover crop. Tilled treatments were typically higher in soil nitrate and total inorganic nitrogen compared to No-till treatments, and Annual ryegrass treatments were consistently lower in soil nitrogen compared to other cover crop treatments. Hairy vetch and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) decomposition and nutrient release was monitored over a 16 week period, with litterbag and intact root core collections at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Decomposition and nitrogen release data were fit to a single exponential decay model with an asymptote. Cereal rye aboveground (k = 0.14) and belowground (k = 0.19) biomass decomposed more gradually compared to hairy vetch aboveground (k = 0.45) and belowground ( k = 0.68) biomass. The same trend developed for nitrogen release with cereal rye aboveground (k = 0.07) and belowground ( k = 0.19) biomass releasing nitrogen slower and more gradually compared to hairy vetch aboveground (k = 0.61) and belowground ( k = 0.61) biomass. Most of the hairy vetch nitrogen was released around Week 2, but the corn crop did not reach the V6 growth stage until Week 8, therefore cover crop nitrogen release and cash crop uptake may have not been synchronized. Plant Root SimulatorTM ion exchange resin membrane probes also captured significantly more nitrogen in hairy vetch plots compared to cereal rye plots at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12, which indicates that hairy vetch could increase the readily plant available total nitrogen (nitrate + ammonium) in the soil throughout the bulk of cover crop decomposition. Farmers should decrease the time between cover crop termination and cash crop planting in order to increase the likelihood of crop synchrony. This research will help farmers develop better management practices regarding inclusion of cover crops into traditional agronomic production systems.
Author: Chuck A. Ingels
Publisher: University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources
ISBN: 9781879906358
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 172
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Book Description
This guide features cutting-edge methods for using cover crops to enhance vineyard performance. Based on extensive research, this guide details technical and theoretical information on how cover crops affect vineyards and promote ecological stability. With how-to instructions for activities such as field application, this practical reference is a must-have for vineyard owners, managers, consultants, and pest control advisers.
Author: Sara Carabajal
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781088341278
Category : Agronomy
Languages : en
Pages : 57
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Book Description
Interseeding cover crops into standing annual crops can promote environmental benefits within agroecosystems. However, seeding method and cover crop diversity may influence biomass production and activity-density of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Carabids abundant in agroecosystems and their granivorous behavior can impact weeds and potentially crops. In a two-year study, six annual cover crop species– planted as either single species or mixtures– were interseeded into standing corn. The seed predation rate of Harpalus, a granivorous carabid, was estimated in a no-choice experiment using weed and crop seed species. Higher crop diversity did not correlate with biomass yield, but cover crop species did. Carabid activity-density was significantly higher later in the season, but was not influenced by diversity or species. Harpalus consumed crop seeds, but preferred weed seed. With further experimentation and analysis, these results can inform farmers in choosing the most effective seeding method and seed type for interseeded cover crop establishment.
Author: Barry Glaz
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0891183590
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 672
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Book Description
Better experimental design and statistical analysis make for more robust science. A thorough understanding of modern statistical methods can mean the difference between discovering and missing crucial results and conclusions in your research, and can shape the course of your entire research career. With Applied Statistics, Barry Glaz and Kathleen M. Yeater have worked with a team of expert authors to create a comprehensive text for graduate students and practicing scientists in the agricultural, biological, and environmental sciences. The contributors cover fundamental concepts and methodologies of experimental design and analysis, and also delve into advanced statistical topics, all explored by analyzing real agronomic data with practical and creative approaches using available software tools. IN PRESS! This book is being published according to the “Just Published” model, with more chapters to be published online as they are completed.
Author: Richard Smith (University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor)
Publisher: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
ISBN: 1601076797
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 99
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Book Description
The handbook describes primary cover crop species, including grasses, legumes, mustards and other cool-season and warm-season options. Photos, seeding details, winter vigor descriptions, nitrogen fixation and scavenging, weed suppression and nematode resistance are included for each species. In addition to assisting with crop selection, this handbook addresses the effects of cover cropping on water management, pest management and farm economics. For California growers, the handbook also discusses differences in cover crop use for the Central Valley, Desert and Coastal regions. Chapters include: Botany and Species Selection Agricultural Soil Ecology Water Management and Impacts on Water Quality Soil Nitrogen Fertility Management Weeds Soilborne Pathogens
