using cover crops to promote soil...
TRANSCRIPT
Using Cover Crops to Promote Soil Health
Managing for Soil Health…4 Keys
• Manage more by disturbing less
• Diversify with crop diversity
• Grow living roots throughout the year
• Keep the soil covered as much as possible with plant residue
NRCS Soil Health Initiative
• Objectives
– Increased awareness, both internal and external
– Provide technical and financial assistance to producers wanting to improve soil health.
– Increase adoption and implementation of soil health management systems
Soil Health Management System - Crop
• The Key conservation practices are: Conservation Cropping Rotation
No-till or Strip-till
Cover Crops
Nutrient Management
Integrated Pest Management
Conservation Buffers/Filter Strip
Soil Health Management System – Pasture
• Key Practice – Prescribed Grazing Management of top growth impacts growth below ground
• Reduced root growth diminishes… – the contribution of the root system to
soil organic matter – plant health & above ground biomass
production – nutrient uptake and cycling – the soil biological community – Hydrologic cycle
Oklahoma Soil Health and Diversity
Cover Crop Species for Oklahoma
Grass Broadleaf Brassica
Barley CG Flax CB Hybrid Brassica CB(Br)
Oats CG Safflower CB Canola /Rapeseed CB(Br)
Phacelia CG Chickling Vetch CB (L) Ethiopian Cabbage CB(Br)
Rye (cereal) CG Clover, Sweet CB (L) Mustard, brown, oriental or yellow CB(Br)
Ryegrass (annual) CG Pea, spring field CB (L) Radish CB(Br)
Ryegrass (Italian)** CG Pea, spring forage CB (L) Turnip CB(Br)
Triticale CG Vetch, common CB (L)
Triticale, spring CG Vetch, hairy or crown CB (L)
Wheat (winter) CG Vetch, woolypod (Lana) CB (L)
Corn (BMR) WG Clover, Red CB (L)
Millet, Foxtail (German) WG Chickpea (desi-type) CB (L)
Millet, Pearl WG Clover, Arrowleaf CB (L)
Millet, proso* WG clover, Berseem/Persian CB (L)
Sorghum, grain or forage WG clover, Crimson CB (L)
Sudangrass WG Clover, Subtearrean CB (L)
Sudan-sorghum hybrid WG Clover, White CB (L)
Wheat (egyptian) WG Faba Bean CB (L)
Lentil, spring CB (L)
Medic CB (L)
Pea, winter CB (L)
Sainfoin CB (L)
Buckwheat WB
Sunflower WB
Cowpea WB(L)
Soybean WB(L)
Birdsfoot Trefoil WB(L)
Mungbeans WB(L)
Sunn Hemp WB(L)
NW Oklahoma
• Wheat, Canola Rotation
• Concerns: Erosion after canola Nutrients after wheat
– Double crop sorghum after canola
– Cowpea, sudangrass cover after canola
– Mungbean, Egyptian wheat cover after canola
– Cowpea, soybean, German millet cover crop after wheat
SW Oklahoma
• 2-3 years Wheat, DC Cotton, 1-2 years Cotton
• Concerns: Erosion, Moisture, Compaction
– Add canola and or sorghum to rotation
– Mungbean, Egyptian wheat cover following wheat crops
– Wheat, turnip, radish cover following cotton crops
possible salinity concerns
– Barley, triticale, canola after cotton
– Cowpea, sunflower after wheat
Eastern Oklahoma
• Corn, Corn, Soybean, Soybean, Wheat, DC Soybean
• Concerns: Erosion, nutrients, moisture
– General winter cover with small grains, radish, turnip, winter pea
– N scavenging winter cover with ryegrass, canola, turnip, and radish
NC Oklahoma
• Wheat, Double Crop Soybean, Corn rotation
• Concerns: erosion after soybeans, diversity
– Over seed small grain cover into soybean before leaf drop
– Winter pea, small grain cover following soybean
Soil Health Summary
• We are all still learning
• Looking for opportunities…. – Producer trials
– Haney tests
• Cover crops fill void in rotations and improve soil health
• Lots of options to adapt and experiment
Contact your local office for more information