Browsing by Subject "Winter Rye"
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Item Corn and soybean production on irrigated coarse-textured soils: Integrating winter rye and kura clover to reduce nitrate leaching(2019-01) Ricks, NatalieCrop production and environmental health are major global concerns. In Minnesota maintaining crop yield while reducing nitrate leaching on coarse-textured soils is an example where these concerns converge. Cover crops and living mulches have been identified as potential methods to reduce nitrate leaching. This study monitored the impact of winter rye and kura clover on corn and soybean yield, corn N requirement, and nitrate leaching. We found that in a corn-soybean rotation, Rye-Cover did not impact yield, decreased nitrate leaching by 50%, but had inconsistent effects on corn N requirements. Additionally, nitrate leaching was substantially reduced under kura clover from the establishment year compared to the initial year of crop production with kura clover, but corn and soybean yield was negatively impacted. The results of this research will help to make strategic management decisions for the implantation of a rye cover crop or kura clover living mulch on coarse-textured soils.Item Four Cover Crops Dual-Cropped With Soybean: Agronomics, Income, And Nutrient Uptake Across Minnesota(2018-02) Ott, MatthewMany agricultural watersheds in Minnesota have toxic levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, much of which originates in agricultural fields that are fallowed from October through May. Autumn-sown winter cover crops can be used to retain these nutrients. Soil NO3-N levels and and quantities of N sequestered by winter rye (Secale cereale), Tillage Radish® (Raphanus sativus), and the oilseed crops, winter camelina (Camelina sativa), and pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) were evaluated in a relayed cover crop/soybean production system at three sites spanning the north-south climatic gradient of Minnesota. Tillage Radish® sequestered the most N in autumn, but winter-killed and had high soil NO3-N levels in spring. Winter rye was terminated chemically by early May at each site, whereas the oilseed crops were allowed to grow into June to full maturity and their seeds were harvested. In autumn through early May, winter camelina and pennycress sequestered about 25% less N than winter rye. However, they often sequestered ≥ 2.5 times more N than winter rye when compared at maximum seasonal biomass (up to 130 kg N ha-1), with some of this N coming from spring fertilizer application. The relative amount of applied N captured by oilseeds, defined here as applied N sequestration efficiency, was 95% and 68% for winter camelina and pennycress, respectively. Winter camelina yields ranged from 600 to 1100 kg ha-1, while pennycress yields ranged from 900 kg ha-1 to 1550 kg ha-1. When combined with yields of relay-cropped soybean, net income for relay-crop systems was generally equivalent to mono-cropped soybean.