Brassica Cover Crop Variety Trial

Rose Lake Plant Materials Center

Bath, MI

August 13-Nov. 11, 2010

Disclaimers

This was a one year study.

The weather was unusually favorable.

Sample sizes were not large (the sample quadrat was 2 ft².

Variability and LSDs tended to be high.

When data are presented, even if only some of the selections are covered the statistics were run on all 20 selections.

About the Site…

100 miles from Lakes Erie, Michigan, and Huron

About 30” of precipitation spaced evenly over the year

Moderate to well draining black sand

Rose Lake Plots

Photo by Rose Lake NRCS PMC

Photo by Rose Lake NRCS PMC

Brassica Selections

Radishes: Groundhog

Defender

Tillage Radish

Daikon VNS Lot# LMR6 4

Daikon Midwood

Daikon Nema Common

Driller

Experimental Radishes:

GS‐733, IR‐14, NZS, MBS, LITH, COL

Forage Turnips: Pasja Appin

Mustards: Pacific Gold Ida Gold Accent Brown

Rapeseed: Dwarf Essex

Planting

Planting: Aug. 13, 2010

Seeding rates:

Radishes 10 lb/A

Mustards 8 lb/A

Turnip 2 lb/A

Rapeseed 5 lb/A

% Cover (Oct. 12)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

OSR Groundhog OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema Common

OSR Driller Tillage Radish

% S

oil

Co

ver

*Using ANOVA, there were no statistically significant differences in % soil cover.

% Cover

Tillage Radish ‘Defender’

Biomass (tons/A) (Oct. 12)

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

OSR Groundhog OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema Common

OSR Driller Tillage Radish

Dry

Bio

mas

s (t

on

s/A

)

Above Ground

Below Ground

abcde abcde abcde

abcd

cde

e

bcde

abcde

bcde

abcd

OSR ‘Groundhog’ OSR Daikon Nema Common

OSR Driller

Tillage Radish

OSR ‘Defender’

Biomass (tons/A) (Oct. 12)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

OSR Groundhog OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema Common

OSR Driller Tillage Radish

Dry

bio

mas

s (t

on

s/A

)

abc

bcd

cd

abcd

abc

Tillage Radish OSR ‘Defender’

Nitrogen Accumulation (lbs/A)

0

20

40

60

80

100

OSR Groundhog

OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema

Common

OSR Driller Tillage Radish

N (

lbs/

A)

Below Ground Biomass

Above Ground Biomass

N (lbs/A)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

OSR Groundhog

OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema

Common

OSR Driller Tillage Radish

Tota

l N (

lbs/

A)

Flowering

Brassica Cover Crop % of Plots in Flower (out of 4) on Oct. 12, 2010

OSR Groundhog 0

OSR Defender 0

OSR Daikon Nema Common 100

OSR Driller 0

Tillage Radish 0

Flowering

Of these five radish selections, OSR Daikon Nema Common was the earliest to flower. No selection of the total 20 set seed.

Winter Kill As of Nov. 10, 2010, the Brassicas had yet to die off (though some were showing cold stress symptoms). By that date there was at least one hard frost and several lighter frosts.

OSR Daikon Nema Common

Photo by J. Durling, Rose Lake NRCS PMC.

Photo by J. Durling, Rose Lake NRCS PMC

Photo by J. Durling, Rose Lake NRCS PMC

November 10, 2010

Pollinators! In November! On a mustard.