Cover crops North Dakota Report

Marisol Berti1, Osvaldo Teuber1, Dulan Samarappuli1, Alfredo Aponte1, Johanna Lukaschewsky1, Hans Kandel1, Burton Johnson1, David Ripplinger2, Abbey Wick3, Chandra Heglund3, Frank Kutka4,

Mike Ostlie5, Steve Zwinger5, Mark Liebig6, John R. Hendrickson6, David W. Archer6, Marty A. Schmer7, K.A. Nichols8, and Donald L. Tanaka6

1Dept. of Plant Sciences, NDSU2Dept. of Agribusiness and Applied Sciences, NDSU

3Dept. of Soil Science, NDSU4NPSAS Breeder

5Carrington Research Extension Center, NDSU6USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Lab., Mandan, ND

7USDA-ARS, Agroecosystem Management Research Unit, Lincoln, NE8Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PA

Midwest Cover Crops Council Annual Meeting, Madison, Wisconsin

Outline• Research completed

– Cover crops variety trial at two seeding dates ( N and P uptake)– Timing of winter rye removal for weed control in soybeans.– Corn-alfalfa intercropping: alfalfa as a cover crop in corn– Short-Term Soil Responses to Late-Seeded Cover Crops in a Semi-

Arid Environment– 2015 Cowpea Variety Trial Prosper North Dakota

• Research in progress– PDP SARE Enhancing Soil Health with Cover Crops in North Dakota:

Training Program. – Adaptation of cover crops to build soil health in the northern Plains NCR-

SARE, on farm-research demonstration and educational. – Nutrient cycling ability of forage radish and turnip previous to corn and

soybean– Winter Rye Research at the CREC - Using winter rye as a forage crop.

Cover crops variety trial at two seeding dates

• Planting dates were July 21 and August 20, 2015.

• The first date include 16 cool- and warm-season cover crops)

• the second date only 14 cool-seasons. • Biomass, N, and P uptake were calculated

Date 1Forage sorghum and forage triticale 2.59 and 4.97 tons/acre dry matter

Date 2Rape Dwarf Essex and radish Daikon 1.47 and 1.47 tons/acre

Scavenging- N and P uptake

N and P uptake

Timing of winter rye removal for weed control in soybeans

• Soybean growth and development was not reduced by rye through 16 June, rye at anthesis and soybean, first true leaves.

• Rye reduced kochia growth and vigor, but not necessarily reduced plant numbers

• The weed suppression of rye disappeared once the rye began the senescence process and the canopy opened up.

• Stunted kochia resume growth.• Mid-August, rye variety lost most of its effectiveness on kochia

Sprayed at anthesisHarvested as forage at anthesis

No rye check

Research/activities in progressPDP-SARE Enhancing Soil Health with Cover Crops in North Dakota: Training Program

Adaptation of cover crops to build soil health in the northern Plains NCR-SARE, on farm-research demonstrationReached over 500 farmers, county agents,

college students, and consultants- 7 table talks, Cafe talks, workshops- 5 field days or plot tours

- Train-the-Trainer workshop- extension agents

Nutrient cycling ability of forage radish and turnip previous to corn

13 9 29 221522

88

108

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

radish turnip radish turnip

Prosper Fargo

N u

ptak

e (lb

s/ac

re)

N uptake (lbs/acre)

roots leaves

764 605

1121882733

1442

2849 3004

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

radish turnip radish turnip

Prosper Fargo

Biom

ass

yiel

d (lb

s/ac

re)

Biomass yield (lbs/acre)

roots leaves

Nutrient cycling ability of forage radish and turnip previous to corn

77.5

88.5

99.510

10.511

11.5

0 50 100 150

TOTA

L C

OR

N B

IOM

ASS

YIEL

D

(TO

NS/

ACR

E)

N RATE (LBS/ACRE)

Biomass yield

Check Radish Turnip

7090

110130150170190210230250

0 50 100 150TOTA

L C

OR

N G

RAI

N Y

IELD

(BU

/AC

RE)

N RATE (LBS/ACRE)

Grain yield

Check Radish Turnip

Check 184 bu/acreRadish 218 bu/acre, 15.5%Turnip 202 bu/acre,7.3%

Thank you for your attention and interest

Marisol BertiAssociate professor

Dep. of Plant Sciences, NDSU Dept. 7670Fargo, ND 58108-6050

Phone (701) 231-6110, Fax (701) 231-8474e-mail: marisol.berti@ndsu.edu