Cover Crop Considerations

Transcription

1 Cover Crop Considerations What is the best cover crop for nitrogen (N) fixation? The most effective weed suppressor? One that will increase water infiltration? Is there a cover crop that performs all of these functions, and how will it fit into my crop rotation? Selecting the best cover crop can seem like a daunting task: there are many species to choose from and many factors to consider. Ultimately, all cover crops are multifunctional, but there are trade-offs. Planting cover crop mixtures is one tactic for harnessing the strengths of multiple species (such as the N-fixation of a legume and the weed suppression of a grass), but these mixtures can introduce additional management considerations (e.g., timing cover crop termination when maturation is not synchronized). Fortunately, there are many great resources available online to help (see below). From a soil health perspective, cover crops are integral to maintaining and enhancing the health of agroecosystems. With the continued collaboration and support among growers, extension educators, crop consultants, and researchers, cover crops will grow as a viable solution to the many agricultural and environmental challenges we face today. Legumes Non-legumes Hairy Vetch Sorghum Sudangrass Cereal rye Austrian Winter Pea Yellow Mustard Buckwheat Sunn Hemp Phacelia Radish

2 Selected cover crop resources 1. Clark, A Managing cover crops profitably, 3rd edition. Sustainable Agriculture Network, Beltsville, MD. (Available online at: Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition) 2. Colley, M., and B. Baker Sourcing certified organic seed and the National Organic Program regulations. [Online]. extension Foundation, eorganic Community of Practice. Available at: 3. Cover Crops Database. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. UC Davis. [Online] Cover Crops for Vegetable Growers [Online] Extension outreach. Cornell University. Available at: 5. Finding the right mix: Multifunctional cover crop cocktails for organic systems. Research project. [Online]. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. Available at: 6. Green cover seed smart mix calculator. [Online]. An online tool to create custom seeding rate blends of many different species. The tool provides the monoculture seeding rate for each species and you can adjust seeding rates as a percentage of the monoculture rate. Available at: 7. Improving weed and insect management in organic rotational no-till. [Online]. Research project. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. Available at: 8. Making the most of mixtures: considerations for winter cover crops in temperate climates. [Online]. extension Foundation, eorganic Community of Practice. Available at: 9. No-till vegetables: harnessing the power of cover crops. Research project. [Online]. Weil, R., and N. Lounsbury, University of Maryland. Available at: Radishes A New Cover Crop for Organic Farming Systems - extension. [Online] Zehnder, G Farmscaping: Making use of nature's pest management services. [Online]. extension Foundation, eorganic Community of Practice. Available at: Notes For more information, contact Emily Reiss (err76@cornell.edu), Jeff Liebert (jal485@cornell.edu), Kathy Howard (kch3@cornell.edu), or the Cornell Soil Health Team. Please note that the following cover crop charts can be found in Managing Cover Crops Profitably (resource 1, above).

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