Mitigation of nonpoint source Phosphorus (P) pollution is a worldwide challenge. Among a large range of best or beneficial P management practices (BMPs), plant-related strategies such as crop stubble preservation,
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
Growing a cover crop with an appropriate amount of water use during these long fallow periods between grain crops in a W-S-F system could increase productivity, profitability, resource use, and
Soil microbial community structure and functioning, including substrate catalysis and nutrient cycling, in agroecosystems vary with soil management practices. Intensifying and diversifying cropping systems by integrating cover crops can increase
Two ryegrass species are of great importance in forage/livestock production; annual ryegrass and perennial ryegrass. Both species are easy to establish, versatile in how they can be used and adapted
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
On farms in the Midwest, Annual ryegrass has sometimes been observed in fields a year or more after the original seed was planted. There is a perception that when it
Annual ryegrass is a vigorous cool-season grass with an extensive root system. As a cover crop, annual ryegrass helps prevent erosion, builds soil organic matter, improves soil tilth, captures residual
Moving agricultural production systems toward a greater level of soil health is needed for sustainability. Conservation agricultural systems utilizing no or minimum tillage are an important step forward, but enhancing
Pennycress can be used as a renewable biomass because its harvested seeds can be converted into biofuel, supplying, for example the aviation industry. Pennycress can be adopted as a winter
In the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, winter cereal cover crops are often planted in rotation with summer crops to reduce the loss of nutrients and sediment from agricultural systems. Cover crops
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
Corn (Zea mays L.) grain is a major commodity crop in Illinois and its production largely relies on timely application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers. Currently, growers in Illinois and other
Diseases caused by soilborne pathogens are a major limitation to field grown nursery production. The application of cover crops for soilborne disease management has not been widely investigated in a
Legume cover crops can play a valuable role in maintaining and increasing soil quality and nitrogen availability, but are infrequently grown in the Upper Midwest due to short growing seasons
This study examined the effect of crop rotations and winter cover crops (CCs) on near‐surface pore characteristics of a silty clay loam soil in a 27‐yr no‐till field experiment. The
Maize stover is beginning to be used as a cellulosic biofuel feedstock in the Midwestern United States; however, there are concerns that stover removal could result in increased soil erosion
The use of annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) as a winter cover crop by Midwest corn and soybean farmers has opened a market for Oregon ryegrass seed growers. The advantage
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
Agriculture throughout the Southern High Plains of the United States relies on supplemental irrigation from the Ogallala Aquifer because of limited precipitation and high evapotranspiration rates. Unfortunately, extraction rates greatly