Cover Crop Management for Sustainability and Profitability. Mike Plumer Illinois Council on Best Management Practices

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1 Cover Crop Management for Sustainability and Profitability Mike Plumer Illinois Council on Best Management Practices

2 Field without a cover crop severe erosion 2

3 Clean water runoff from ryegrass field 3

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5 BMP Cost Effectiveness of BMP S $/Ton of Sediment BMP $/Ton of Sediment Cover Crops $1.99 Diversions $18.10 No-till $2.99 Sediment Retention Permanent Cover Wind break $12.10 $6.95 CRP Program $50.21 $22.95 Sod water way $13.50 Average Cost $8.71

6 Making Soil Health A Priority! What does Soil Health mean? Soil Health Key Indicators = Increasing organic matter Improving aggregate stability Increasing water infiltration Increasing water-holding capacity Improving nutrient cycling Balancing and diversifying soil biology

7 Making Soil Health A Priority! How? Soil Health Key Principles = Minimize Disturbance Maximize Soil Cover Maximize Biodiversity Continuous Living Roots

8 Organic Matter Critical component of productivity! Each 1 % of O.M. contains: 10,000 lbs. of C 1000 lbs. of N 100 lbs. of P 100 lbs. of S.3-1 of H2O= 10,000 to 27,000 gallons of water/a How much has your soil organic matter decreased?

9 Value of Soil Organic Matter Assumptions: 2,000,000 pounds soil in top 6 inches 1% organic matter = 20,000# Nutrients: Nitrogen: 1200# * $.60/#N = $720 Phosphorous: 116# * $.72/#P = $ 84 Potassium: 105# * $.44/#K = $ 46 Sulfur: 145# * $.46/#S = $ 67 Carbon: 12,000# or 6 ton * $4/Ton = $ 24 Value of 1% SOM Nutrients/Acre = $941 Jim Kinsella/Terry Taylor (2008)

10 Rooting depth in soybean study Cereal rye 18.4 Annual ryegrass 30.6 * first year cover crop, planted Oct.1 roots measured April 9th * Significant.05

11 Soybean root development under ryegrass to over 30 In claypan soil

12 Conservation Cropping Systems Fully Functional No-Till= High Soil Health Resilience!

13 Strategically Planning the system 1. Drill or VT Cereal Rye into Corn Stalks 2. Plant a short season Soybean into the Rye (preferably early in the season)

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15 How will you seed it? Plant it in narrow rows Use existing Bean Planter Less Seed $12-$16/ac Provides Precision row/ plant spacing Surest results

16 Nitrogen Uptake by cover crop after a corn or soybean crop Pick up left over nitrogen and hold till spring Keeps N in the soil profile not leachable to tile Most N available if termination on grasses is done before first joint stage

17 Nitrogen capture Illinois soil nitrogen October state ave. 80 #/a High of 170 #/a low of 40#/a Nitrogen Oct #/a soil March 25 5#/a soil 81 #/a -cereal rye Nitrogen Oct #/a soil April 1 22 #/a soil 60#/a ryegrass Illinois lost an estimated >400,000,000 # nitrogen in

18 Saving Nitrogen Measured 0-12,, October soil nitrogen January soil nitrogen Check --soil nitrogen Radish 112 # nitrogen/a 112#/a below 12 24#/a Rapeseed 28#/a

19 Saving nitrogen with ryegrass Field nitrogen 130#/a in October- 24 sample Nitrogen in January Bare soil majority nitrogen below 12 Will be below 24 by April In ryegrass plot;; soil nitrogen < 20#/a Balance is in ryegrass plant 110#

20 Cover crop nutrient uptake Concentrates P and nitrogen in plant Utilize cover crop for fertility Release nitrogen and phosphorus in spring Utilize for bio-strip till --- RTK With radishes in 30 rows Rapeseed or other brassicas --30 row

21 Selection Based on C:N ratio Oil Seed Radish and Oats Seeded 9/14/08 Growth by 10/4/08 11/12/08

22 Oil Seed Radish, Oats As of Dec 14 Brassicas Dead Oats Dying

23 Oil Seed Radish, Oats As of Jan 4 Brassicas Gone Oats Dead When does N release?

24 Enhanced corn and soybean root density following radish as compared to rye and no cover

25 Bio strip till 30 cover crops 1.5#/a radish Rapeseed 2#/a Feb. 15, 2013

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27 Rapeseed Varieties being developed for increased effects Essex is currently preferred variety Excellent on soybean cyst nematode, significantly reduces SDS and other diseases Narrow seeding window for winter hardiness September for this area Seeding rate 5-10#/a Controlled by 2,4-D, glyphosate, or corn herbicides

28 DISEASE CONTROL Treatment SCN eggs/100cc SDS Foliar Disease Foliar Disease Yield (bu/a) Changes in Egg count DX 8/26 AUDPC Fallow (No winter crop) +589 a 25.2 a a 65.4 b Cover crop (rapeseed) -313 b 16.8 b a 67.5 ab Green manure (rapeseed) -691 b 5.5 c 37.1 b 69.6 a P > F J. Bond, SIU

29 Soybean Cyst Nematodes Egg Count Bare Cereal Rye Annual Ryegrass NW * 117** SW * 0** LF * 386* JA * 279* Soybean Cyst nematode suppression by annual ryegrass Treatment NW Plot yield SW Plot yield Bare soil Cereal rye Annual ryegrass Plumer, U of Il

30 Soybean yield difference Cereal Rye 4.9bu./a 4.1bu/a At $11/bu soybeans-- $53.90/a $45.10/a Annual ryegrass 6.8bu/a 12.4bu/a $11/bu soybeans $74.80/a $136.40/a

31 Weed control Soybeans July 8,2012, 4:30 pm 11 Year continuous NT plus 5 years Cover Crops Minimum /vertical till across the fence

32 Weed Control Controlling resistant weeds Glyphosate resistant marestail (horseweed) Herbicide program: $40/a + not always effective Cereal rye $12-24/a Mulch and allelopathy effect from high residue cereal rye cover crop

33 Serious mares tail population

34 WEED CONTROL 80 0z. Power Max Cereal rye No herbicide Plumer

35 Replicated trial, rye residue removed (May 15)and control Was not affected June 15 2 years, 8 replications 2 varieties

36 Treatment Cereal Rye cover crop Anson Farms 2013 first year cover crops Yield bushel/acre corn $ Check $ Income($4.50/bu) Comparison of acre strip trials 47.1 $ Cover crop cost $8.17/a spread with fertilizer Profit increase $203.78/acre

37 Selection Based on C:N ratio Cereal Rye Root growth to 24 Top growth at boot stage- 36 and up Additional Forage? Excellent Carbon building potential! Not for the Faint of Heart!

38 Planting rye small, early

39 Selection Considerations Herbicide Carryover Compatibility with Adjacent and Subsequent crops

40 Herbicide Carryover concerns (when rainfall is short) Plant growth may be inhibited Poor fall establishment Poor fall growth Increased winter kill/damage High ph may cause carryover Know what herbicides and restrictions Plan in advance what fields will go to ryegrass

41 Herbicide carryover Plan ahead for the cover crop Most labels do not list cover crops Look for similar crops for issues Brassicas very sensitive to carryover Especially soybean herbicides Canopy, First Rate, Classic in any mix Corn, late applied full rate Corvus has shown damage to brassicas Calisto late applied could affect germination

42 Planted same day --glyphosate only- first Rate carryover

43 Herbicide over lap on end row First Rate

44 First Rate

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46 Annual ryegrass: Illinois has been added to the Cover Crop Selector Tool for Field Crops

47 Source of cover crop information

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