Cover Crops. Why are we interested in these?

Transcription

1 Cover Crops

2 Cover Crops Why are we interested in these? Clive Wood Kings / Frontier

3 To cover --- Introduction. Nutrient capture. Weed reduction Black grass. On farm use / 5 Top cover crops. CAP Reform and opportunity.

4 Problems on Arable Farms - Cover crops can help most farms. Straw being removed frequently. OM lower Volume of Biomass Water quality and erosion Higher Nitrogen costs and limits on Nitrogen use Soil structure Intensive rotations soil pests and disease Less chemical Fumigant Reduce leaching & erosion N fix or N catch. Large Root structures Nematode reduction Biofumigation.

5 On farm Cover cropping -- what drives the interest -- Diffuse pollution reduction is a driver Nitrogen capture and recycling improve efficiency. Great enthusiasm from farmers to improve soil health CAP reform is a new driver Strong increase in spring cropping Wide need to help control Blackgrass The opportunity to review spring cultivations and drilling The questions we see from farmers are :-- When, how, cost, and will it work Can we link the opportunities for a sustainable technique

6 Nutrient capture

7 Autumn soil Nitrogen? Why is there any in the soil? Nitrogen use efficiency by cereal crops:-- Light sand 70% Medium and Clay 60% -- 40% of Nitrogen applied may be unused Shallow soils over Chalk 55% Yield of last crops? Manure. Soil type. Warm autumn mineralisation of soil N.

8 The DEFRA Demonstration Test Catchment Project 3 Catchments in UK The DTC projects aim to evaluate the extent to which on-farm mitigation measures can cost-effectively reduce the impacts of water pollution on river ecology while maintaining food production capacity

9 UEA Norfolk - Oct /Dec 2012 Total rainfall 243 mm 65% higher N loss Total N lost 15,378 kg 5.3 times more N than % higher P loss Total P lost

10 Monitoring of field drains -- Oct /Dec 2013 Drain Code D10L Fields Drained Cropping 12/13 Autumn 13 Status Howards Barn/Potash Winter Wheat Control (ploughed, left over-winter) Mean NO 3 mg N/l 22/10-17/ D08L Potash/Far Hempsky Winter Wheat/ / Spring Barley Control (ploughed, left over-winter) D07R Merrisons Spring Beans Winter Wheat D13L Merrisons Spring Beans Winter Wheat DO9R Kerdy Green Winter Barley Winter Oilseed Rape 4.92 D03R Dunkirk Winter Wheat Radish Cover Crop 1.31 D02L First Hempsky Spring Barley Radish Cover Crop 1.08 D16R Moor Hall Spring Barley Radish Cover Crop D01R Dunkirk/Moor Hall Winter Wheat/ / Spring Barley Radish Cover Crop 5.56 D04L Swanhills Spring Barley Radish Cover Crop 1.43

11 Mineral Nitrogen Testing Autumn mineral Nitrogen testing average on 6 sites. Heavy soils in Bedfordshire --all after wheat crops. Average over 4 years is a 48 kg N/ha loss. Would have been worse on light soils Year 0-30 cm cm cm September Total January next

12 Frontier sites. Nitrogen loss over winter 13/14 October to February -- Average 73 kg N / ha Frontier site N loss Kg N /ha Ormskirk LANCS 98 Gressenhall NORFOLK 62 Walsham SUFFOLK 74 Birch ESSEX 47 Wrotham KENT 60 Malshanger HANTS 42 Blanford DORSET 130

13 Kings 2013 / 14 results August 13 plant Jan 14 harvest Harvested crop analysis of above ground biomass. Average of 2 sites 1 year only Fresh ton /ha Ton DM per ha % Nitrogen content Kg N/ha W.Turnip rape Oil Radish Top Oil Radish root Radish /Oat mix Mustard Rye Stubble Turnips

14 Kings 2013 / 14 results N,P and K analysis of biomass above ground Kg N/ha Kg P /ha Kg K /ha W.Turnip rape Oil Radish Top Oil Radish root Radish /Oat mix Mustard Rye Stubble Turnips

15 Oil Radish - 8 weeks

16 Cover crop Demo sites Autumn 14

17 Weed reduction

18 Black grass effect? Westerwolds Radish

19 Westerwolds

20 Oil Radish -10 th Jan 14

21 Black grass opportunity. Detailed work ongoing at :--- Lincolnshire trial site 6 crops replicate follow with S. Barley. Rothamsted pot work.

22 6 Cover crops v Blackgrass

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24 Cover crop mixture November 13 --Plant 4 th Sept 13

25 Glyphosate 10 th Feb14. 5 weeks later = 15 th March

26 Cover crop drilling day

27 Direct drill spring barley 15 th March into the Cover crop

28 Soil structure /Organic matter

29 8 th May -harvest 9.28 ton/ha

30 Direct drill 10 th Sept Wheat into a short term cover

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33 Same crops 9 th October

34 1 st Sept drill 9 th October

35 5 Top Cover crops

36 Winter Turnip rape 19 ha

37 Oil Radish 42 ha

38 Kings Rye / Vetch mix 48 ha

39 Kings Soil Vitality mix. Radish / Oat / Berseem / Vetch / Phacelia 44 ha

40 Kings Soil Structure mix Radish x 2 / Oat x 2 / Forage rye /Phacelia 45 ha

41 Tillage Radish.

42 Cover crops -- Take away messages Nitrogen -- It s been paid for why lose it. -- Help water quality. Bare land -- A wasted opportunity. -- Harvest sunshine and improve soil structure Cover crops can help with soil health and nematode reduction +? Black grass. Can lead to new methods of spring cultivations and planting.

43 Clive Wood