ABSTRACT:
Soil erosion can be excessive on rolling terrain from soybean grown in rotation with no-till corn. Winter cover crops established after harvest in soybean residue could reduce soil loss, but because of temperature and moisture restraints they are difficult to establish in early fall in the upper Midwest. Field studies were conducted to determine if cover crops could be established early into a soybean host crop at the following three soybean growth stages: soybean planting (SP); V1; and V5. The cover crops used were hairy vetch, black medic, and turf-type tall fescue. Seeding these cover crops at soybean V5 was less successful than when seeded at SP or V1 stage. Soybean yield was not reduced by the underseeded cover crop growing full season with soybean. The cover crops did not consistently overwinter. Black medic produced seed under the soybean canopy, a feature that might be exploited for renewed cover. However, apparent hard seededness in black medic needs further investigation.
Footnotes
R. S. Moomaw is professor of agronomy, Northeast Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska, Concord 68728. Submitted as No. 9963 in the Journal Series of the Nebraska Agricultural Research Division, Lincoln 68503. The author acknowledges the assistance of Larry Prentice, seed analyst, Nebraska Crop Improvement Association, for conducting germination tests on black medic seed. Mention of trade names in this article is for the reader's benefit and does not imply endorsements by the authors or the Nebraska Agricultural Research Division.
- Copyright 1995 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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