PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Elkins, Donald
AU  - Frederking, Duane
AU  - Marashi, Reza
AU  - McVay, Byron
TI  - Living mulch for no-till corn and soybeans
DP  - 1983 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
PG  - 431--433
VI  - 38
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/38/5/431.short
4100  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/38/5/431.full
AB  - No-till planting of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybeans [Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] in grass and legume sod mulches was evaluated from 1978 to 1982 in southern Illinois. Herbicides or growth regulators were selected for application to each sod to keep a portion of it alive or to allow it to regrow late in the season to provide a continuous cover. Results of these studies showed that good corn and soybean yields could be obtained while maintaining up to 60 percent of a living grass mulch. It was more difficult to maintain a living legume sod. A successful living mulch system could minimize soil erosion and runoff even more than a standard no-till system, particularly on sloping, erosive land. Adoption of such a cropping system by a significant number of farmers who grow row crops on erosive land could help meet nonpoint pollution control goals.