cover crop seed innovation - blackmer
TRANSCRIPT
Tile drainage• Nitrate moves freely with water• Most of nitrate loading from tile
lines• Tile lines usually run before and
after corn and soybeans are taking up N
Nitrogen Loss
Notice the lack of green on the land and the water flowing from tile line
Water Quality
July 29, 2014Big Creek ReservoirIowa, USA
No Swimming permittedDrinking water source
Most common reason for cover crops• Erosion control often a “gateway”
usage of cover crops.• Requirements for erosion control
are not necessary the same as other usages.
• Specifics must be adapted to local issues
Benefits of Cover Crops
Cover Crop Seed
More than cereal rye Hairy Vetch
TillageRadish®
CrimsonClover
AnnualRyegrass
WinterPeas
Oats CerealRye
Triticale
Cover Crop Roots
Planted cover crops• In trash cans• Triticale, Radish, Clover, and Annual
Ryegrass• Soil mix to easily separate roots
Root Can Study
Roots are often under estimated
Key Point
34 days of growth
Crimson clover
Key Point
34 days of growth
Nutrient Scavenging
Increased N Scavenging
• Fall planted cover crop• Captures N at lower depth• This N could be lost by next
spring
Nitrogen Capture
Ray Weil, University of Maryland
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
05
1015202530354045505560
Tillage RadishNo Cover Crop
Nitrate N in each 6 inch soil layer (lb/a)
Soil
dept
h (in
ches
)
Plant uptake• Holds leachable
nutrients• Relocates nutrients• Increases available
forms of nutrients
Nutrient Uptake
Nitrogen Application• Angle with NH3 • Plant differences
Early Season Nutrient Stress
June 3, 2014
Iowa Prevented Planting Case Study
• There was a pre-plant application of 60 lbs N/a. No additional N was added.
• Around the 1st of Aug. the field was disked, the Tillage Radish® seed was broadcast and a roller was used to get a firm seed contact.
• A good stand was established.
Case Study – Nutrient Catch Crop
Cambridge Iowa, 2013
Nutrient Analysis
• An average of 364 lbs of N were taken up by the Tillage Radish®
• Plus other nutrients
Case Study – Nutrient Catch Crop
Case Study – Nutrient Catch Crop
Nitrogen Needs
• Only 50 lbs N/a was needed to optimize grain yield for 230+ bu/a corn.
• Despite over 350 lbs N in the TR catch crop, N was still needed, but at a much lower than anticipated amount.
• The lack of full N credit is speculated to be a loss from rain rather than a lack of N release.
Cover crop roots can “loosen” the soil
• Roots can go deeper than most tillage operations
• Can keep aggregate stability.
Soil Conditioning
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
0
5
10
15
20
25
Soil penetrometer resistance with and without cover crop
Tillage RadishNo Cover Crop
Penetration Resistance (lbs/in2)
Soil
Dep
th (i
nche
s)
Increasing Root Growth
Increased Rooting Depth
• Fall planted cover crop• Following season’s corn roots• More corn root growth at
lower depth
Increased Corn Rooting
Weil and Chen. 2007
0 2000 4000 6000 8000
0
5
10
15
20
25
Tillage RadishCereal RyeNo Cover Crop
Corn Root Growth (roots/sq yard)
Soil
Dep
th (i
nch)
Increasing nutrient availability
• Cover crops increased nutrient availability in the top 10 inches
Increasing Nutrient Availability
University of Maryland with the Tillage Radish®
• 70 comparisons over 5 years• 12 bu/a corn yield increase• 8 bu/a soybean yield increase• No yield decreases
Yield Trials
Nematode control strategies• Non-Host crops• Biofumigants• Hatch and Starve• Increasing the Suppression
Nematodes
Isothiocyantes
+ Myrosinase
In Brassica tissue
Volatile “bio-fumigant”
Glucosinolates
Rupturing Cells
Somecontrol
Limited impact
Odor
Nematode Reduction• Field studies in IL have shown a
meaningful reduction.• Data from each site was
replicated three times over 2 years.
• Mechanism not understood, but looks promising.
• More research needed.
Soybean Cyst Nematodes
Site No Cover Cereal Annual Crop Rye
Ryegrass
----------------SCN
Eggs-----------------
1 7533 717* 117** 2 3650
320* 0** 3 1559 722*
386* 4 1202 390* 279*
*significant 0.05
**significant 0.01
Mike Plumer, Univ. IL
Nematode Reduction• Field studies in IL have shown a
meaningful reduction.• Data from each site was
replicated three times over 2 years.
• Mechanism not understood, but looks promising.
• More research needed.
Soybean Cyst Nematodes
Site No Cover Cereal Annual Crop Rye
Ryegrass
----------------bu/a----------------
1 48.9 53.8 55.7 2 48.2
52.3 60.6
Mike Plumer, Univ. IL
Soybean grain yield following cover crops
Inter-seeding?• Can you plant a cover crop earlier
in the season?• Need light to get established• Will it hurt yield?
Establishing a Cover Crop
Penn State University
Corn Yield as Affected by Interseeding
Untreated control Annual Ryegrass Legume mix Grass-legume mix140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
190
Corn
Yie
ld (b
u/a)
Effect of Interseeded cover crops
Penn State, 2013
Establishing a Cover Crop
Most common cover crops used for interseeding
RootMax Annual Ryegrass Tillage RadishCrimson Clover
Thank you.
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800-767-9441
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