An overview of cover crops selection, planting, termination, and benefits,

1. Tim Reinbott

3. 
Loss of Organic
Matter


Soil structure
Soil microbial
biomass

Release of CO2

Soil Erosion

Why Till?

Weed Control

4. LONG TERM NO-TILL
TILLED IN A
CORN/SOYBEAN/WHEAT
ROTATION

7. U.S. Nitrous Oxide Emissions
Agriculture is the main source of
nitrous oxide in the U.S., due in large
part to nitrogen-based fertilizers, but
residue breakdown also contributes
Image created by EPA

8. 
Anerobic Conditions


Nitrogen Fertilization



wet
1.5% of all N is lost as
N20
Animal
Manures/Compost
N from Cover Crops?

9. 

This is what separates us
(Missouri) from Central Iowa,
Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana,
etc
In these areas climatic
conditions favor the
accumulation of Organic
Matter
 Slower breakdown, long
history of deep rooted
native perennial plants

10. 
Nutrient Cycling




Water Dynamics



Nutrient Holding
Capacity
Pool of Nutrients
Food for soil organisms
Improves water
infiltration
Improves water holding
capacity
Structure


Reduces
crusting, compaction, eros
ion
Encourages root
development

12. 12

14. 



Bacteria-100
million-1 Billion!
Fungal FilamentsSeveral Yards
Protoza-Several
Thousand
Nematodes-10-20

19. Nodules-Symbiotic Relationship Between the Plant and the Bacteria.
Atmospheric Nitrogen is Fixed by the Bacteria For Use by the Plant.

20. 

Each Species of
Legume has a
Different Species of
Bacteria
You must match them
together.

22. 



A lot of biomass-2-3
tons/acre
Winter Hardy
High Nitrogen Fixation100 plus lbs/acre
Wide window of
planting
August-mid October
March
Hard Seed, late
maturing
 Problem When Wheat
is in the Rotation




23. Early May
Late May

24. 
Adapted from Gallagher, Penn State
2007
Time
Early (May 4)
Middle (May 15)
Late (May 31)
2008
Early (May 1)
Middle (May 14)
Late (May 29)
Hairy Vetch
lbs/acre %N
N lbs/acre
1,400
3.82
55
4,300
4.43
190
6,600
4.15
274
3,204
4,005
4,361
2.49
2.92
4.55
80
117
197
Corn Yield-0 N
113
132
140
92
121
79

25. 



Large Biomass
High N fixation-80120 lbs/acre
Plant fall or early
spring
Not as winter hardy

Seedling Disease
problems

27. 



Plant AugustSeptember
Early spring maturity
Not as much biomass
as Hairy Vetch or Peas
Can reseed
themselves

30. 





Very Short Growing
season-60 days
Some Weed ControlAllelopathy
Inexpensive Seed-much
like wheat or rye
Attract Beneficial
Insects
Many uses for
Vegetable production
Nutrient Cycling

31. 



Inexpensive Seed
Rye is very winter
hardy
Rye tremendous dry
matter
Suppress weeds


Allelopathy or
Blocking Light
Good to mix with
legumes

32. 
Spring or Winter



Spring planted in the
fall will winter kill
Quick Growth in the
Fall
Great Companion
Crop

33. 



Cross between wheat
and cereal rye
Hardiness of cereal
rye
Good forage potential
Does not have the
allelopathic potential
as cereal rye

34. 





Plant in Fall
Overwinter-most of
the time
Deep Roots-5-6 ft
Scavenge Nitrogen
Dense matt controls
weeds
Can become a weed!

Herbicide resistance
problem

35. 
Late Summer Planted

Sequester Nitrogen

Loosen Soil

Weed Control?

36. Fall
Spring

38. 
Following Wheat

Summer Annual
Legumes
 Sunn Hemp
 Sesbania
 Cowpea
Cowpea

39. Sesbania
Sunn Hemp

40. Brief

41. 







Hairy Vetch-$2.0/lb or $40-60/acre
Austrian Winter Pea-$0.73/lb or $29-44/acre
Crimson Clover-$1.2/lb or $24/acre
Radish-$4 lb or $32/acre
Cereal Rye-$0.23 or $14-21/acre
Annual Rye-$0.80 or $16/acre
Sunn Hemp-$2.5/lb or $50-75/acre
Sesbania-$2.4/lb or $48/acre

42. 




Hairy Vetch-$40@ 100 lb N/acre=$0.40/lb
Austrian Winter Pea-$29@80 lb
N/acre=$0.36/lb
Crimson Clover-$24@75 lb N/acre=$0.32/lb
Sunn Hemp-$50@80 lb N/acre=$0.62/lb
Sesbania-$48@80 N/acre=$0.60/lb

44. 



Bacteria-100
million-1 Billion!
Fungal FilamentsSeveral Yards
Protoza-Several
Thousand
Nematodes-10-20

45. 


Divide monoculture
seeding by number of
species:
Ex) Hairy Vetch-30
lb/acre, Cereal Rye-90
lb/acre, Austrian
Winter Pea-60 lb/acre
in monoculture
When mixed: Hairy
Vetch-10 lb/acre, Cereal
Rye 30 lb/acre, and
Austrian Winter Pea-20
lb/acre

64. DAY OF DESICCATION
Flailed
Rolled
5 DAYS LATER
Rolled
Flailed

65. PLANT PERPENDICULAR TO
THE WAY IT WAS ROLLED
SEED TO SOIL CONTACT
CAN BE A CHALLENGE

67. Cover Crop on the Left Has No
Marestail (left)
After Tillage Radish-No Winter Annuals

74. 27,427
25,606

75. 













Corn Yield 2013
Cover Crops Overseeded into Soybean September 2012
Corn
Treatment
Yield
Bu/acre
Control
175
Hairy Vetch
199
Crimson Clover
165
Radish
174
Cereal Rye
175
Hairy Vetch+Rye
187
Crimson Clv. +Rye
181
Radish + Rye
173
Rye+Radish+HV+CC
174
Reinbott, 2013

77. 












Soybean Yield 2013
Cover Crops Overseeded into Corn Sept. 2012
Treatment
Yield
Bu/acre
Control
29
Hairy Vetch
24
Crimson Clover
28
Radish
27
Cereal Rye
36
Hairy Vetch+Rye
28
Crimson Clv. +Rye
33
Radish + Rye
29
Rye+Radish+HV+CC
27
Reinbott, 2013

80. 100
90
80
lbs/acre
70
60
50
Rye
40
Crimson Clover
30
Hairy Vetch
20
10
0
2
4
8
Weeks
12
16
From Wagger, 1989. Agronomy Journal

81. Nutrient Scavenge, Loosen Soil, Weed
Control

82. Tillage Radish Root dug out-32”
Courtesy of Steve Groff-Pennsylvania

83. Ohio State
University
Courtesy of
Steve Groff
Open
field
Tillage
Radish®
field
Soil compaction
decreased by >40%
Loosen SoilIncrease root
growth and
water
infiltration?

84. Gruver, et al, 2012

85. Williams and Weil, 2004

87. 1.25 inch
2 inches
White and Weil, 2011

89. From Steve Groff
No Cover Crop
Cover Crop

93. Tilled
No-Tilled
No-Till Cover Crop

94. 
Cover Crops Attract
Butterflies, Bee
(including Bumble
Bees and other Native
Bees), beneficial
beetles, lacewings, etc.