Gina and Rick discuss keeping tabs on your weed seedbank, the benefits of cover cropping long term, and how to maximize weed control from your cover crops in organic, no-till
Cover crop (CC) biomass is generally proportional to its ability to provide weed control. In addition, some CC release allelopathic compounds that contribute to weed suppression by inhibiting germination and
Natalie Lounsbury (University of New Hampshire) discusses how to manage cover crops for such ecosystem services as: suppressing weeds, attracting pollinators, cycling nutrients, promoting biological diversity, and controlling erosion.
Increased weed control is one of the many benefits of cover crops. Here, Ruth discusses the mechanisms for how cover crops suppress weeds while Rob walks through how he uses
In Coastal Plain soils, low levels of carbon and soil organic matter in the soils lead to a range of crop production problems including high disease rates, low yields, compacted
There is an increased interest in sunn hemp entries as a cover crop for sugarcane production in southern Louisiana. Incorporating sunn hemp into a sugarcane cropping system can control soil
Herbicides have been a major weed management tool, but cover crops have the potential to suppress weeds provided there is enough biomass production. Early seeding, herbicide carryover damage, timely termination,
Weed infestation is one of the major agronomic challenges in row-crop production. Weed suppression can be achieved by cover crops (CC) due to several reasons including the amount of CC
Allelopathy is one mechanism of plant-soil feedback that uses secondary metabolites to alter soil properties to affect the growth of seedlings. Allelopathic chemicals from CC have been shown to suppress
Annual ryegrass adaptability, quick establishment, and aggressive growth are also considered to be characteristics of a weed. The annual ryegrass we know as a cover crop is the same species
Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same
Introducing summer cover crops to the system could increase soil conservation and farm profitability if grazed. Short-term benefits of planting a summer cover crop might include reduced soil erosion in
Cover crops provide a variety of important agroecological services within cropping systems. Typically, these crops are grown as monocultures or simple graminoid-legume bicultures; however, ecological theory and empirical evidence suggest
With the decision to adopt cover crops, a conservation practice that is becoming increasingly popular throughout the country, the economic picture can admittedly be hard to decipher at first. This
The upper Midwest USA leads the nation in production, accounting for 37% of the total sweet corn hectarage in the United States. However, sweet corn has a proportionally larger potential
Cover crops can lessen soil erosion and compaction, improve water infiltration, enhance nutrient availability, suppress weeds, and assist with pest management. However, cover crops are not commonly used in alleyways
Soilborne pathogens are a significant economic problem for nursery production in the Southeastern United States. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of cover crops on soilborne
Cover crops are increasingly being adopted to provide multiple ecosystem services such as improving soil health, managing nutrients, and decreasing soil erosion. It is not uncommon for weeds to emerge
Annual ryegrass is an accepted cover crop in parts of the midwestern United States for corn and soybean production. Cover crops help prevent soil erosion, improve soil tilth, increase soil
Experiments were established in a controlled-growth chamber and in the field to evaluate the effect of the length of time intervals between winter rye cover crop termination and corn planting