legume crops in low precipitation areas of the pacific northwest

Legume Crops In Low Precipitation Areas of the

Pacific Northwest

Brian Tuck, Oregon State University Stephen Machado, Oregon State University

No-Till, Reduced Till, Organic

Issues

•Winter Precipitation (10-14”) – Dryland SF

•Dry Falls and Hot Dry Springs

•Limited Irrigation

•Few Alternatives – Monoculture

•Wind & Water Erosion

Legume Rotation/Cover Crops

Impact on wheat yields

Moisture use

Nitrogen Fixation

Pest Problems

•Costs

•Crop Value

•Moisture

•Limited Options

Issues

Nebraska farmers. This field is an example of two rows of wheat spaced at 10 inches, leaving 20 inches for the soybean crop.

Intercropping

Examples of IntercroppingREGION INTERCROP

North and North Central US wheat /grasses/ clover

Northwestern region, west of the Cascade Range

oats/red clover.

Southern Oregon wheat/subterranean clover

Willamette Valley in Oregon corn /sorghum for silage

South Dakota corn, soybean, and spring wheat (alternating strips)

Iowa strip-crops oats, corn, and soybean.

Nebraska corn/wheat/soybean

Parma, ID (Brown Bradford) relay cropping barley and corn

Canada corn /soybeans for silage;barley, oats , or triticale are intercropped with clover

Legume MixesLegume Mixes(Yields, N, Soil Health)(Yields, N, Soil Health)

•Winter Peas - mixes, varieties, planting Winter Peas - mixes, varieties, planting rates, removal and grow outrates, removal and grow out

•Yield Increase - 12-33% (consistency)Yield Increase - 12-33% (consistency)

•Clovers, Hairy Vetch, Medic, Lentils…Clovers, Hairy Vetch, Medic, Lentils…

Grain Yields of Winter Wheat Intercropped with Different Legumes,Pendleton, OR. 2007-08

Intercrop

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Grain Yields of Winter Wheat Intercropped with Different Legumes,Moro, OR. 2007-08

Intercrop

Wh

ea

t g

rain

yie

ld (

bu

/a)

0

10

20

30

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50

60

•N Fixation/Transfer

•Soil Microflora

Hairy Vetch

•Adapted

•Winter Hardy

•Purple Bounty

•N Fixation - First Bloom

•Nematode, Disease

•Blends with Wheat

Questions???

Photo by John Aeschliman