ABSTRACT:
Water use of three winter cover crops for no-till soybeans was evaluated on a Mexico silt loam (Udollic Ochraqualf) in central Missouri. Cover crop treatments included Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa L.), chickweed (Stellaria media L.), downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.), and a no cover crop check treatment. Soil-water contents were similar among treatments from early March to mid-April. The critical period of water competition between soybeans and the cover crop started in late April, especially in the upper depths (0–15 cm). After chickweed senescence in late April, the soil-water content in bluegrass and brome treatments decreased 37% to 39% compared the to check treatment and 20% to 23% compared to the chickweed treatment. Downy brome and Canada bluegrass treatments delayed soybean growth 7 to 14 days, decreased soybean yield 41% to 73%, and used water 36% to 73% less efficiently compared to the control. The slight difference in soil-water content, water use, and soybean yield between no-cover and chickweed treatments and the early maturity of the chickweed suggests that this species has potential as a winter cover crop for no-till soybeans in the Midwest. It is particularly attractive because chickweed reseeds itself so there is no added cost for establishment or control.
Footnotes
J. C. Zhu is a graduate research assistant and C. J. Gantzer and S. H. Anderson are associate professors of soil science, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211. P. R. Beuselinck is a research geneticist, plant Genetics Research Unit, and E. E. Alberts is research leader, Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Columbia, Missouri 6.5211. Submitted as No. 11,233 in the Journal Series of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station. This work was conducted under Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Project 396, with the financial support, in part, by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, through Missouri Water Resources Research Center (USD-GS-14-08-0001-G1235), by USDA-ARS (58-6125-5-15), and by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR-86-4-0).
- Copyright 1991 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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