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CoverCropsforVegetableGrowers
TristandTuckerSpecialtyCropsSystemSpecialistThrockmortonPurdueAgricultural
Center
2012IllianaVegetableGrowers’School
• Covercropchoices
• Considerationsforincludingcovercropsoncroprotation
• Examplevegetablerotationusingcovercrops
CoverCropChoices
CoverCropsafterJuly15(MidwestCoverCropCouncil)
• Grasses– Oats– CerealRye– Annualryegrass– Wheat– SorghumxSudangrass
• Brassicas– Oilseedradish– Mustards
• Broadleafnon‐legume– Buckwheat
CoverCropsafterJuly15(MidwestCoverCropCouncil)
• Legumes– Clovers• Sweet• Berseem
• Crimson
– AnnualAlfalfa– Fieldpea– HairyVetch
Spring/SummerCoverCrops• Buckwheat
– $30‐40/A– Weedsuppression– Fastgrowing– Easytokill– Killbeforeseedproduction
• SorghumxSudangrass– $25‐35/A– Weedsuppression– Highbiomassproduction– Canbeusedasforage– Winterkills– Nscavenger
Spring/SummerCoverCrops
• Hairyvetch– $35‐75/A– Nproducer(90‐200#)– Weedsuppression– Soilbuilder
• Berseemclover– $20‐40/A– Weedsuppression– Nproducer(75‐220#)– WinterKills– Frostsusceptible
Fall/WinterCoverCrops
• Oats– $25‐35/A– Quickgrowth– Nscavenger– Weedsuppression– Winterkills
• CerealRye– $25‐35/A– Weedsuppression– Durableresidueforno‐tillplanting– Highbiomassproducer– Nscavenger
Fall/WinterCoverCrops
• Tillageradish– $25‐30/A– Weedsuppression– Winterkills– Potentialbiofumigant– Nscavenger– Plantlaterinfall– Increaseearthwormactivity– Breakcompaction
Fall/WinterCoverCrops
• AustrianWinterPeas– $50‐75/A– Nproducer90‐150lbsN– Weedsuppression– Quickgrowth– Winterkills(dependsontemperatureandsnowcover)
• Wheat– $20‐30/A– Nscavenger– Potentialascashcrop/forage– WeedSuppression– SoilBuilder
Suppliers
• LocalCoop• CiscoSeeds,IN• AlbertLeaseedhouse,MN
• Johnny’sSelectedSeeds,ME
• FedcoOrganicGrowersSupply,ME
• SeedsofChange,CA• manyothers
ManagementofCoverCropsandRotations
Management
• Continuerotationstandards– Rotatebetweencropswithdifferentpest– Rotatebetweengrowthhabit/managementstyles
• Plasticbeds,rowcrops• Vineswithuprightplants
• Consideracovercropasa‘crop’whenmakingrotations
CropBotanicalFamily• Apiaceae
– Carrot– Celery
• Asteraceae– Lettuce
• Brassicaceae– Broccoli– Brusselsprouts– Cabbage– Radish– Turnip– OilseedRadish
• Chenopodiaceae– Beet– Spinach
• Cucurbitaceae– Cucumber– Muskmelon– Pumpkin– Squash– Watermelon
• Fabaceae– GreenBean– Peas– HairyVetch– Clovers
• Liliaceae– Garlic– Onion
• Poaceae– Sweetcorn– CerealRye– Oats– ryegrass
• Solanaceae– Eggplant– Pepper– Potato– Tomato
• Polygonaceae– Buckwheat
CovercropsandN
• Accumulateorfixupto200+lbsN• 50%+isavailable1styearafterkilling(Cherretal,2006,
Ebelharetal,1984,Kuoetal,1997,StuteandPosner,1995,VaughanandEvanylo,1999,WilsonandHargrove,1986,RanellsandWagger,1996)
• Nmineralizationpeaks2‐4wksafterkillingunderideal(warm,moist,oxygen)conditions
• Slowermineralizationwithgrassandlegumecropmix
Pestofcoverandvegetable
• Root‐knotnematodes,
• Soybeancystnematodes
• Pinnematodes• Rootlesionnematodes• Stingnematodes• Cutworms
• Potatoleafhopper• Peaweevil• Clubrootdisease• Cabbagerootmaggot
• Aphids• Fleabeetles• Others
Management
• Seeding– Drill• Bestmethod
– Aerial• Greatforearlierseedingintostandingcropspriortoharvest
– Broadcast• Fast,cheap,canbecombinewithfertilizerapplication
• Establishmentissues
BroadcastSeeding
• WorkatMeigsfall2011,andinUSDA‐ARSSalinas,Ca(Brennan,Eric;Leap,Jim.)
• Broadcastseedingfollowedbylightlycoveringsoilworksbest
• Roughtillpriortoseeding,heavyrain,culti‐packer,harrowafterseeding
• Killing– Allow2‐4weeksbetweenkillingandplantingcashcrop– Killaftergoalisaccomplishedandpriortocovercropbecoming
aproblem.– Burndownwithnonselectiveherbicide(glyphosate,mixwith
2‐4Dforbroadleaves)– Tillage
• Moldboardplow• Rotarytiller• Disc
– Somecoverscanbedifficulttocompletekillwithtillageunlessthereiscompleteburialorpulverizationofcrop• MoldboardPlow• Multiplyrotarytillerpasses
Management
KillingmethoddependsofCashcropplantingmethod
– Plastic• Completelybury(moldboardplow)residue• Till2‐4weeksaheadofplasticlayingtoallowdecompositionofresidue
• Residuetocauseproblemswhenlayingplastic– Directseeding,baregroundtransplanting
• Seedcornmaggotscanbeaproblem• Allowforsufficientdecompositionpriortoplanting.
– No‐till• EarlyBurndown• Mowing• Rolling
Otherconsiderations
• Resultsvaryfromyeartoyearandfarmtofarm
• Killatcorrecttime
• Additionalmanagementrequired
• Considercropsneedsandlimitations
• Payattentiontocropandpestinteractions• Startsmall,trydifferentcoversseewhatworksforyou
ExampleRotationsUsingCoverCrops
StaggeredCropplantingdates
• Winterkilledcoverforearlyplantingdates– Oats,Radish,AnnualClover,SorghumSudanGrass,AnnualAlfalfa
• Winterhardyorquickcyclefollowingwinterkilledforlaterplantingdates– CerealRye,HairyVetch,Wheat,Annualryegrass,Clovers
– Buckwheat,Oats
Vegetable/GrainCropRotations
• Vegetables– Oats/TillageRadish
• Corn– Cerealrye
• Soybeans– HairyVetch/Cerealrye– BerseemClover/Oats– Oats/Tillageradish
ShortSeasonCropRotations
• Springcrop– Cabbage,Lettuce,Carrots,Peas
• SummerCover– Buckwheat– Sorghum/Sudan
• FallCoolSeason– Cabbage,Broccoli,Carrots,Peas– Interseedannualryegrass,cerealrye,clover
IntensiveVegetableCropRotations• Solanacea‐Tomatoes/Peppers
– Plasticbeds– Oats/Radish,Rye/vetch
• SweetCorn– Cerealrye/winterkilledlegumeafterharvest
• Cucurbits‐Melons/Squash– Plasticbeds– Oats/Radish,Oats/BerseemCloverafterfinalharvest
• Cabbage/Broccoli/Spring‐FallCrops– Buckwheatbetweencropsinsummer– Ryegrass,Wheat,Rye,Oatsafterharvestorseededpriortoharvest
• GreenBeans/Peas– SorghumxSudanandPea,Vetch,Clover
AustrianWinterPeas
CerealRye/Radish
Oats/Radish
AustrianPeas/SorghumSudanGrass11‐8‐2011
AustrianPeas/SorghumSudanGrass11‐8‐2011
AdditionalInformation
• KnottsHandbookforVegetableGrowers• ManagingCoverCropsProfitably
• NortheastCoverCropHandbook• http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/ccrop/• http://www.mccc.msu.edu/
• http://mcccdev.anr.msu.edu/
References• Barney,J.N.,DiTommaso,A.,Baloch,H.A.andWatson,A.K.2006.Fungalinfectionandsoybeancompetitioninduceplastic
responsesinvelvetleaf(Abutiliontheophrasti)growthandreproductiveoutput.WeedScience54:883‐890.
• Cherr,C.M.,J.M.S.Scholberg,andRMcSorley.2006.Greenmanureasnitrogensourceforsweetcorninawarm‐temperateenvironment.Agron.J.98:1173‐1180.
• Ebelhar,S.A.,W.W.Frye,andR.L.Blevins.1984.Nitrogenfromlegumecovercropsforno‐tillagecorn.Agron.J.76:51‐55.
• Kuo,S.,U.M.Sainju,andE.J.Jellum.1997.Wintercovercroppinginfluenceonnitrogeninsoil.Soil.Sci.Soc.Am.J.61:1392‐1399.
• Ranells,N.N.andM.G.Wagger.1996.Nitrogenreleasefromgrassandlegumecovercropmonocultureandbicultures.Agron.J.88:777‐782.
• Stute,J.K.andJ.L.Posner1995.SynchronybetweenlegumenitrogenreleaseandcorndemandintheupperMidwest.Agron.J.87:1063‐1069.
• Vaughan,J.D.andG.K.Evanylo.1999.SoilNitrgoendynamicsinwintercovercrop‐cornsystems.Commun.Soil.Sci.Plant.Anal.30(1&2):31‐52.
• Wilson,D.O.andW.L.Hargrove.1986.Releaseofnitrogenfromcrimsoncloverresidueundertwotillagesystems.SoilSci.Soc.Am.J.50:1251‐1254.