planting date effects on cover crop biomass production ... · fig 2. sub-sample of 30 ft....
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© 2014 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved.
UNL does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment.
© 2014 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved.
Planting Date Effects on Cover Crop Biomass Production Following Winter Wheat
Kenneth J Roche1, Roger Elmore1, Katja Koehler-Cole1, Christopher Proctor1, and Angela Bastidas1
Department of Agronomy & Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0816
No interaction between cover crop planting date
and treatments in the fall or spring.
Fall Biomass Production (Fig 3.)
• There was a difference in the fall biomass
production by planting date.
• There was no difference in the fall biomass
production by treatment.
Spring Biomass Production (Fig. 4) • There was a difference in biomass production by
planting date and treatment.
• The difference in treatments may be accounted for
because oats winter kill and do not contribute to
spring biomass production in treatment three.
• Over-all there was increased biomass production
in spring growth (1.7- 2.7 tons acre-1) versus the
fall (0.3-1.6 tons acre-1).
• Spring biomass production may have potential use
as forage.
• It was visually observed that winter killed oat
biomass suppressed volunteer wheat versus a
control (Fig 5.). Future studies could examine this
effect.
• Future studies will also look at the remnant effect
of these cover crops on the following corn yield
components.
• There is increasing interest in using cover crops
for forage. Maximizing the fall and spring
biomass potential of cover crops depends on the
timely planting of the cover crops after
harvesting wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
• The objective of this study was to examine the
effect of planting date on the biomass
production of two commonly used cereal cover
crops, rye (Secale cereale L.) and oat (Avena
sativa L.) in a wheat-fallow-corn cropping
system.
• Early results suggest an increase in biomass
production with earlier planting dates. The
preliminary data suggest that fall cover crop
biomass production would not be a viable option
for forage use, but spring forage may be an
option prior to rotation to planting a cash crop.
• A RCB split plot design was used with three
cover crop treatments over three planting dates
with nine replications (Fig. 1).
• The trial was conducted at the South Central
Agricultural Laboratory (SCAL) under rain-fed
conditions located in Clay Center, Nebraska.
• Treatments: Trt 1 = Rye 60lbs/a, Trt 2 = 80lbs/a,
Trt 3 = Rye:Oat (50:50) 75lbs/a, Trt 4 =
control.
• Fall samples (10 ft2) were collected by hand
after the first hard freeze.
• Spring samples were collected as 30’ swath by
mechanical harvester and sub-sampled (Fig 2.) .
• All samples were dried to a constant dry mass
and sorted to species.
1.2 1.0
1.6
0.9 1.1
1.4
0.4 0.3 0.4
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
Rye Oats Rye:Oats
ton
s acr
e-1
Fig 3. Fall 2015 Biomass Production
** ** **
‘**’ significant at < 0.01 Comparison within species.
Fig 1. RCBD split plot experimental design.
Fig 2. Sub-sample of 30 ft. mechanically
harvested swath
Fig 5. Winter killed oats suppressing
volunteer wheat in the spring.
2.4
2.0
2.7
2.0 2.0
1.7
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
Rye Rye:Oats
ton
s acr
e-1
Fig 4. Spring 2016 Biomass Production
‘*’ significant at < 0.05 Comparison within species.
*
Daren Redfearn , Ashley Burns-Hassebrook, Gregory Dorn and the
SCAL group from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department
of Agronomy & Horticulture.
Planting Dates
22 August 2015
10 September 2015
1 October 2015
plot width 11.2 ft.
drill width 5.6 ft.
field length 408.8 ft.
field width 354 ft.
Treatments
1 Rye 60 lbs acre-1
2 Oat 80 lbs acre-1
3 Rye:Oat (50:50) 75 lbs acre-1
4 Control