Direct seeding into bluegrass sod for erosion control

L. F. Elliott; R. I. Papendick

ABSTRACT:

In the Palouse, spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) no-till seeded into bluegrass (Poa pratensis) sod killed in the spring with glyphosate [N-(phosphomonom-ethyl)giycine] yielded as well or better than when bluegrass stand takeout was by conventional tillage and seeding. The no-till bluegrass takeout results in substantial energy savings and virtually stops the severe erosion that may occur the first year after conventional bluegrass stand takeout. Winter wheat, spring barley (Hordeum vulgare), and spring wheat no-till seeded as the second crop produced yields equal to or better than when conventional tillage was used. Generally, no-till-seeded peas (Pisum sativum), did poorly with this system. Winter wheat, no-till seeded into bluegrass sprayed with glyphosate, winter killed badly and bluegrass stand kill was poor.

Footnotes

L. F. Elliott is a microbiologist and R. I. Papendick is a soil scientist with the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pullman, Washington 99164. This work was done in cooperation with the College of Agriculture Research Center, Washington State University, Pullman, Scientific Paper No. 6479. The authors thank Chris and Glen Ramsey, Rockford; Leigh Schultheis, Uniontown; and Kenneth Parks, Jr., Fairfield; for their time, assistance, and use of land for this study.
Copyright 1983 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

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