integrated reduced tillage - michigan state university
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Daniel Brainard Carolyn Lowry Ben Henshaw
Michigan State University Department of Horticulture
March 2012
Integrating reduced tillage and cover crops for organic vegetable production
Figure 1. Winter rye residues in reduced-‐tillage snapbeans can helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, andprotect the soil.
Strip Tillage and Cover Crops!
Untilled BR Zone!• Soil moisture retention!• Soil erosion protection!• Reduced splashing!
• Habitat for beneficials!
Tilled IR Zone!• Warmer!
• Higher mineralization!• Good seed bed!
Adapted from John Luna
Strip-tillage in Carrots Plant wheat (fall) or barley (April) Strip-tillage and carrot planting in May Kill wheat or barley once carrots are established
Living mulch as wind break for carrots
Early spring winter rye
Strip-tillage
July
August
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Dead mulches
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Benefits: Beneficial Insects
Bryant and Szendrei unpublished
Image adapted from: http://www.swac.umn.edu/classes/soil2125/img/8drprg2.jpg
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Sub-surface Drip and Strip Tillage
Wee
d de
nsity
(#/p
lot)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14 large crabgrassPowell amaranthlambsquarters
Conventional tillage
Strip tillage
Bare BareRye Rye
b
Weed species
bab
a
Challenges: Weed Suppression
Weeds often more abundant in reduced tillage Cover crop residue can help suppress weeds under reduced tillage
Hairy vetch: Friend or Foe?
Pros • Grows off-season • Fixes lots of Nitrogen
Cons • Re-growth potential • Can winter-kill • Expensive seed
Cover crop N (lb/A) Red Clover 50-120
Crimson clover 30-60
Hairy vetch 50-100
Austrian Winter Peas 30-70
Cowpea/Soybean 40-100
Approximate N contribution of legumes
Hairy vetch: Research MSU
Variety trials (Henshaw/Snapp) • Early flowering • Winter hardiness • Compatibility with rye
Mixtures • Proportions (Hayden) • Placement (Lowry)
1. ‘Oregon’ vetch 2. ‘Purple Prosperity’ vetch 3. ‘Purple Bounty’ vetch 4. Oregon + rye 5. P. Prosperity + rye 6. P. Bounty + rye
Vetch variety and mixture trial Treatments (Ben Henshaw)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Oregon Purple Prosperity Purple Bounty
Ope
n flo
wer
s/in
f.
Hairy vetch variety
Monoculture Mixture
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Oregon Purple Prosperity Purple Bounty
Ope
n flo
wer
s/in
f.
Hairy vetch variety
Monoculture Mixture
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Num
ber o
f flo
wer
ing
race
mes
per
ste
m
Num
ber o
f flo
wer
ing
race
mes
per
ste
m
Hairy vetch Flowering Timing
“Early flowering” varieties flower
earlier !
Mixtures with rye result in earlier
flowering
Earlier flowering means easier to kill
N to crop not weeds Minimize vetch re-growth Minimize rye interference
Lower seed costs
Segregated Cover Crop Strips (Carolyn Lowry)
Acknowledgements • MSU Project GREEEN • Michigan Vegetable Council • South West Michigan Research and Extension Center • C. S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems • The Ceres Trust • NC-SARE
• Corey Noyes • Ron Goldy • Dave Francis • Bill Steenwyk • Dave and Ken Miedema • Bill Chase
• Sieg Snapp • Erin Haramoto • Zsofia Szendrei • Alex Bryant • John Teasdale • Zack Hayden
• Norm Myers • John Bakker • Steve Dillingham • Robin Bellinder • Andy Miller • Steve McKay
Rye-vetch mixtures N content by source
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
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N content = 40-140 lbs N/acre
Nitrogen Fertilizer Replacement Value=
20 - 70 lbs N/acre
Approximate cost of N fixed=
$ 0.41 – 1.42 lb
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