scholarly journals Extending Cover Crop Benefits with Zone Till Management in Northern Organic Summer Squash Production

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 983
Author(s):  
Peyton Ginakes ◽  
Julie M. Grossman
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
Soil Inorganic

Winter annual legume cover crops often fail to reach full maturity by spring vegetable planting dates in northern climates, which prevents maximum nitrogen (N) contributions. To determine if delayed termination improved cover crop biomass and N content, we evaluated winter rye + hairy vetch (Secale cereale L. + Vicia villosa Roth) and oat + field pea (Avena sativa L. + Pisum sativum L.) cover crop mixtures in 2015 and 2016, and medium red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) in 2016, in zone-tilled organic yellow crookneck squash (Cucurbita pepo var. torticollis Harz). In-row regions where cover crops were terminated in early spring during crop row preparation were compared to between-row regions where termination was delayed until legume maturation in late spring. Soil quality (soil inorganic N, permanganate oxidizable C (POXC), and potentially mineralizable N (PMN)) was also determined for in-row and between-row regions at four time points throughout the growing season. In 2015, winter rye + hairy vetch biomass N more than doubled between early and late termination times, with 120 and 258 kg N ha−1, respectively. Permanganate oxidizable C was not responsive to cover crop systems or tillage, and only slightly decreased over time in 2016. Soil inorganic N and PMN after cover crop termination in 2016 provided evidence of localized soil N cycling responses to cover crop termination in in-row and between-row regions. The extended growing period for cover crops between crop rows in the first several weeks of crop growth had no negative effect on crop yield, and appeared to enhance soil fertility.

scholarly journals Nutrient Management with Cover Crops and Compost Affects Development and Yield in Organically Managed Sweetpotato Systems

HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1423-1433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle D. Treadwell ◽  
Nancy G. Creamer ◽  
Greg D. Hoyt ◽  
Jonathan R. Schultheis
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Available N ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
Organically Managed ◽  
Soil Inorganic

A 3-year field experiment was initiated in 2001 to evaluate different organic sweetpotato production systems that varied in cover crop management and tillage. Three organic systems: 1) compost and no cover crop with tillage (Org-NCC); 2) compost and a cover crop mixture of hairy vetch and rye incorporated before transplanting (Org-CCI); and 3) compost and the same cover crop mixture with reduced tillage (Org-RT) were compared with a conventionally managed system (Conv) with tillage and chemical controls. Yield of No. 1 sweetpotato roots and total yield were similar among management systems each year, except for a reduction in yield in Org-RT in 2002. The percentage of No. 1 grade roots was at least 17% and 23% higher in Org-CCI and Org-NCC than Org-RT in 2001 and 2002, respectively, and similar to Conv in 2001 and 2004. Organic and conventional N sources contributed to soil inorganic N reserves differently the 2 years this component was measured. In 2002, soil inorganic N reserves at 30 DAT were in the order: Org-CCI (90 kg·ha−1) > Org-NCC (67 kg·ha−1) > Org-RT (45 kg·ha−1), and Conv (55 kg·ha−1). No differences in soil inorganic N reserves were observed among systems in 2004. Sweetpotato N, P, and K tissue concentrations were different among systems only in 2004. That year, at 60 days after transplanting, tissue N, P, and K were greatest in Org-CCI. In 2001 and 2004, N (4.09% to 4.56%) and K (3.79% to 4.34%) were higher than sufficiency ranges for N (3.2% to 4.0%) and K (2.5% to 3.5%) defined by North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recommendations for all treatments. No tissue macronutrient or micronutrient concentrations were limiting during this experiment. Reduced rainfall during the 2002 sweetpotato growing season may have contributed to the low microbially mediated plant-available N from the organic fertilizer sources. Despite differences in the nutrient content of organic and conventional fertility amendments, organically managed systems receiving compost with or without incorporated hairy vetch and rye produced yields equal to the conventionally managed system.

Winter legume cover-crop root decomposition and N release dynamics under disking and roller-crimping termination approaches

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun D. Jani ◽  
Julie Grossman ◽  
Thomas J. Smyth ◽  
Shuijin Hu
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Root Decomposition ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Vicia Villosa ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
N Release ◽  
Legume Cover Crop ◽  
Soil Inorganic

AbstractSeveral approaches can be used to terminate legume cover crops in the spring prior to planting summer crops, but the effect that these methods have on decomposition and nitrogen (N) release dynamics of legume cover-crop roots is poorly understood. The main objectives of this study were to: (i) quantify decomposition and N release of roots from pea (Pisum sativum), clover (Trifolium incarnatum) and vetch (Vicia villosa Roth); (ii) determine if roots decompose and release N faster when cover crops are terminated by disking compared with roller-crimping; and (iii) determine if roots decompose and release N faster under higher soil inorganic N levels. Two field experiments were conducted in Goldsboro and Kinston, North Carolina in the summer of 2012. Cover crops at these sites were terminated in spring by disking or roller-crimping and planted to unirrigated corn. Air-dried roots placed in litterbags were buried in their corresponding cover-crop plots and in plots where cover crops had not been grown that had either synthetic N fertilizer added at burial or had no fertilizer addition. Root litterbags were collected over 16 weeks at both sites. Cover-crop plots terminated by disking had up to 117 and 49% higher soil inorganic N than roller-crimped plots in Goldsboro and Kinston, respectively. However, roots did not appear to contribute significantly to these increases, as measured root decomposition and N release was not affected by termination approach at either site. Roots decomposed rapidly at both sites, losing up to 65% of their original biomass within 4 weeks after burial. Root N release was also rapid at both sites, with vetch generally releasing N fastest and clover slowest. It was estimated that cover-crop roots supplied 47–62 and 19–33 kg N ha−1 during the corn cycle in Goldsboro and Kinston, respectively. Our results indicate that under the warm, humid summer conditions of the Southeastern USA, legume cover-crop roots decompose and release N rapidly.

Rye cover crop improves vegetable crop nitrogen use efficiency and yields in a short-season growing region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soudeh Farzadfar ◽  
J. Diane Knight ◽  
Kate A. Congreves
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
Vegetable Crop ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
N Management ◽  
Soil Inorganic

Cover crops have the potential to immobilize nitrogen (N) that would otherwise be lost before or after the main crop production, leading to improved N management. However, information on how cover crops influence N management in intensive vegetable cropping systems are scarce. This study aimed to determine how an overwintering rye cover crop impacts crop yield and N cycling, for three common prairie vegetable crops. From 2017 to 2019, a broccoli-sweet corn-root crop sequence was tested (in which all crops of rotation were present each year), with each crop type receiving five N fertilizer treatments, ranging from 0 to 300 kg N ha-1. After harvest each year, sub-plots were established with vs without a rye cover crop, and the effect on vegetable yield, soil inorganic N, and N use efficiency (NUE) was followed into the subsequent growing season. In most cases, the cover crop increased vegetable crop productivity and N content in the subsequent growing season. The cover crop also lowered soil inorganic N levels at vegetable planting but increased levels at harvest. Vegetable crop NUE indices were frequently improved with vs without the cover crop. As for the N fertilizer response, increasing N fertilizer rate did not continually increase vegetable crop productivity and N content. Higher N fertilizer rates increased soil inorganic N levels at vegetable planting and harvest, and often lowered vegetable crop NUE indices. These results demonstrate the importance of adjusting soil N levels to better align with crop needs—and that including a rye cover crop in the vegetable rotation is one method of doing so.

scholarly journals COVER CROP MIXTURES FOR VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 664c-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy G. Creamer ◽  
Mark A. Bennett ◽  
Benjamin R. Stinner
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
The State ◽  
First Year ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Planting Dates ◽  
Species Mixture

Polyculture mixtures of several species of cover crops may be the best way to optimize some of the benefits associated with cover crop use. In the first year of a three year study, 16 polyculture mixtures of cover crops (4 species/mixture) were screened at seven sites throughout the state. Five of the mixtures were seeded at two planting dates. Fall evaluation of the cover crop mixtures included ease of establishment, vigor, percent groundcover, plant height, and relative biomass. The two mixtures with the highest percent groundcover were (1): sudex, rye, mammoth red clover, and subterranean clover (62% and 80% groundcover, one and two months after planting respectively), and, (2), annual alfalfa, hairy vetch, ryegrass, and rye (56% and 84% groundcover one and two months after planting respectively). The six mixtures with the highest percent groundcover did consistently well, relative to other mixtures, at all locations. Mixture (1) above also had the highest relative biomass throughout the state. Yellow and white sweet clovers, hairy vetch, winter oats, subterranean clover, red clover, rye and barley established well and maintained high vigor ratings throughout the fall. Ladino clover, timothy, and big flower vetch consistently had poor vigor ratings.

scholarly journals Fresh Market Tomato Yield and Soil Nitrogen as Affected by Tillage, Cover Cropping, and Nitrogen Fertilization

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1258-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidat Yaffa ◽  
Bharat P. Singh ◽  
Upendra M. Sainju ◽  
K.C. Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
N Uptake ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Tomato Yield ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
Soil Inorganic

Sustainable practices are needed in vegetable production to maintain yield and to reduce the potential for soil erosion and N leaching. We examined the effects of tillage [no-till (NT), chisel plowing (CP), and moldboard plowing (MP)], cover cropping [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) vs. winter weeds], N fertilization (0, 90, and 180 kg·ha-1 N), and date of sampling on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) yield, N uptake, and soil inorganic N in a Norfolk sandy loam in Fort Valley, Ga. for 2 years. Yield was greater with CP and MP than with NT in 1996 and was greater with 90 and 180 than with 0 kg·ha-1 N in 1996 and 1997. Similarly, aboveground tomato biomass (dry weight of stems + leaves + fruits) and N uptake were greater with CP and MP than with NT from 40 to 118 days after transplanting (DAT) in 1996; greater with hairy vetch than with winter weeds at 82 DAT in 1997; and greater with 90 or 180 than with 0 kg·ha-1 N at 97 DAT in 1996 and at 82 DAT in 1997. Soil inorganic N was greater with NT or CP than with MP at 0- to 10-cm depth at 0 and 30 DAT in 1996; greater with hairy vetch than with winter weeds at 0- to 10-cm and at 10- to 30-cm at 0 DAT in 1996 and 1997, respectively; and greater with 90 or 180 than with 0 kg·ha-1 N from 30 to 116 DAT in 1996 and 1997. Levels of soil inorganic N and tomato N uptake indicated that N release from cover crop residues was synchronized with N need by tomato, and that N fertilization should be done within 8 weeks of transplanting. Similar tomato yield, biomass, and N uptake with CP vs. MP and with 90 vs. 180 kg·ha-1 N suggests that minimum tillage, such as CP, and 90 kg·ha-1 N can better sustain tomato yield and reduce potentials for soil erosion and N leaching than can conventional tillage, such as MP, and 180 kg·ha-1 N, respectively. Because of increased vegetative cover in the winter, followed by increased mulch and soil N in the summer, hairy vetch can reduce the potential for soil erosion and the amount of N fertilization required for tomato better than can winter weeds.

scholarly journals Rolled Winter Rye and Hairy Vetch Cover Crops Lower Weed Density but Reduce Vegetable Yields in No-tillage Organic Production

HortScience ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Leavitt ◽  
Craig C. Sheaffer ◽  
Donald L. Wyse ◽  
Deborah L. Allan
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Bell Pepper ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Weed Density ◽  
Winter Annual

Winter annual cover crops, winter rye (Secale cereale L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), can reduce weed density and build soil quality in organic production systems. There is interest in integrating cover crops and reduced tillage with organic vegetable production, but few studies have been conducted in regions with short growing seasons and cool soils such as the upper Midwest. We evaluated no-tillage production of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), and bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) planted into winter rye, hairy vetch, and a winter rye/hairy vetch (WR/HV) mixture that were mechanically suppressed with a roller–crimper at two locations in Minnesota. Average marketable yields of tomato, zucchini, and bell pepper in the rolled cover crops were reduced 89%, 77%, and 92% in 2008 and 65%, 41%, and 79% in 2009, respectively, compared with a no-cover control. Winter rye and the WR/HV mixture reduced average annual weed density at St. Paul by 96% for 8 to 10 weeks after rolling (WAR) and hairy vetch mulch reduced weeds 80% for 2 to 8 WAR, whereas at Lamberton, there was no consistent effect of cover treatments on weed populations. Winter rye and the WR/HV mixture had higher average residue biomass (5.3 and 5.7 Mg·ha−1, respectively) than hairy vetch (3.0 Mg·ha−1) throughout the season. Soil growing degree-days (SGDD) were lower in cover crop treatments compared with the no-cover control, which could have delayed early vegetable growth and contributed to reduced yields. All cover crop mulches were associated with low levels of soil nitrogen (N) (less than 10 mg·kg−1 N) in the upper 15 cm. Rolled winter annual cover crops show promise for controlling annual weeds in organic no-tillage systems, but additional research is needed on methods to increase vegetable crop yields in rolled cover crops.

scholarly journals The Effect of Cover Crops on the Yield of Spring Barley in Estonia

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Merili Toom ◽  
Sirje Tamm ◽  
Liina Talgre ◽  
Ilmar Tamm ◽  
Ülle Tamm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Spring Barley ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Hordeum Vulgare L ◽  
Crop Species

Using cover crops in fallow periods of crop production is an important management tool for reducing nitrate leaching and therefore improving nitrogen availability for subsequent crops. We estimated the short-term effect of five cover crop species on the yield of successive spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) for two years in Estonia. The cover crop species used in the study were winter rye (Secale cereale L.), winter turnip rape (Brassica rapa spp. oleifera L.), forage radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.). The results indicated that out of the five tested cover crops, forage radish and hairy vetch increased the yield of subsequent spring barley, whereas the other cover crops had no effect on barley yield. All cover crop species had low C:N ratios (11–17), suggesting that nitrogen (N) was available for barley early in the spring.

scholarly journals Effects of Long-Term Cover Cropping on Weed Seedbanks

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Nichols ◽  
Lydia English ◽  
Sarah Carlson ◽  
Stefan Gailans ◽  
Matt Liebman
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Maize Crop ◽  
Cover Cropping ◽  
Crop Biomass

Cool-season cover crops have been shown to reduce soil erosion and nutrient discharge from maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production systems. However, their effects on long-term weed dynamics are not well-understood. We utilized five long-term research trials in Iowa to quantify germinable weed seedbank densities and compositions after 10+ years of cover cropping treatments. All five trials consisted of zero-tillage maize-soybean rotations managed with and without the inclusion of a yearly winter rye (Secale cereal L.) cover crop. Seedbank sampling was conducted in the early spring before crop planting at all locations, with three of the five trials having grown a soybean crop the preceding year, and two a maize crop. Two of the trials (both previously soybean) showed significant and biologically relevant decreases (4,070 and 927 seeds m−2, respectively) in seedbank densities in cover crop treatments compared to controls. In another two trials, one previously maize and one previously soybean, no difference was detected in seedbank densities. In the fifth trial (previously maize), there was a significant, but biologically unimportant increase of 349 seeds m−2. All five trials' weed communities were dominated by common waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.)], and changes in seedbank composition from cover-cropping were driven by changes in this species. Although previous studies have shown that increases in cover crop biomass are strongly correlated with weed suppression, in our study we did not find a relationship between seedbank changes and the mean amount of cover crop biomass produced over a 10-years period (experiment means ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1), the stability of the cover crop biomass production, nor the amount produced going into the previous crop's growing season. We conclude that long-term use of a winter rye cover crop in a maize-soybean system has the potential to meaningfully reduce the size of weed seedbanks compared to winter fallows. However, identifying the mechanisms by which this occurs requires further research into processes such as seed predation and seed decay in cover cropped systems.

Cover crop management effects on soybean and corn growth and nitrogen dynamics in an on-farm study

1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Karlen ◽  
J. W. Doran
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Nitrogen Accumulation ◽  
Fertilizer N ◽  
Hairy Vetch ◽  
Early Season ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Ridge Tillage

AbstractCombining cover crops and conservation tillage may result in more sustainable agricultural production practices. Objectives of this on-farm study were to quantify effects of cover crops on growth and nitrogen accumulation by soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr,] and corn (Zea mays L.) on a Nicollet loam (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic Aquic Hapludoll) near Boone, Iowa, Our farmer-cooperator planted soybean in 1988 using ridge tillage into an undisturbed strip with a hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L. Roth) cover crop and into a strip where previous crop residue and a negligible amount of cover crop had been incorporated by autumn and spring disking. In each strip, we established four plots for soil and plant measurements. Our cooperator planted corn on the same strips in 1989 into a cover crop that consisted of both hairy vetch and winter rye (Secale cereale L.). We determined the source of N accumulated by the corn by applying 67 kg N/ha of 15N depleted NH4NO3 fertilizer. In the absence of cover crops, early season soil NO3-N levels in the top 30 cm were higher, and corn growth and N accumulation were more rapid. At harvest, the corn grain, stover, and cob together accounted for 36 and 39 percent of the 15N fertilizer for the ridge tillage and disked treatments, respectively. We suggest that lower net mineralization of organic matter or greater denitrification losses before planting reduced the availability of soil N, This created an early season Nstress in corn grown with cover crops that was not overcome by broadcast fertilizer N applied three weeks after planting. Our on-farm research study has helped focus continuing efforts to determine if non-recovered fertilizer N is being immobilized in microbial biomass, lost by denitrification, or leached below the plant root zone.

Weed Control in Tomato Production using Spring-sown Cover Crops Killed by Undercutting

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 495b-495
Author(s):  
Akemo Mary Christine ◽  
Mark Bennett ◽  
Emily Regnier
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Cover Crop ◽  
Tomato Fruit ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Winter Rye ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Tomato Plants ◽  
Tomato Seedlings ◽  
Field Peas

A cover crop study in Spring 1996 showed that mowing did not completely kill the cover crops. In 1997 the study was repeated with the same cover crop treatments using winter rye `Wheeler' (Secale cereale) and field peas (Pisum sativum). Cover crops were eastablished in pure stands and bi-cultures in decreasing levels and varying proportions in early Spring 1997. They were undercut under the soil 2 months later, prior to transplanting tomato seedlings. Three controls were included in each replicate. Tomato plants in treatments with higher seeding rates of field peas had higher leaf areas and dry weights 1 month after transplanting. Weeds, especially dicotyledons, grew through the cover crop mulch 1.5 months after undercutting, but by then the tomato plants were at an advanced stage of growth. Tomato fruit yields were much higher than those of 1996 and had significant differences (P = 0.05). Highest yields were from treatments with highest rates of 0.25 rye + 0.75 peas, 0.5 rye + 0.5 peas, pure peas, and the conventionally hand-weeded control. Lowest yields were from the weedy checks. Undercutting the cover crops improved yields in all plots so treated probably because the soil was loosened and the tomato plants' roots accessed nutrients and water better. Spring sowing and undercutting cover crops definitely has a potential for weed control.

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