Cover Crop Establishment and Potential Benefits to Arkansas Farmers Ashley Elizabeth Humphreys University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 12-2016 Cover Crop Establishment and Potential Benefits to Arkansas Farmers Ashley Elizabeth Humphreys University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, and the Soil Science Commons Recommended Citation Humphreys, Ashley Elizabeth, "Cover Crop Establishment and Potential Benefits ot Arkansas Farmers" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 1867. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1867 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Cover Crop Establishment and Potential Benefits to Arkansas Farmers A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences by Ashley Elizabeth Humphreys University of Arkansas Bachelor of Science in Food, Human Nutrition, and Life Sciences, 2011 December 2016 University of Arkansas This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. ______________________________ Dr. Trenton L. Roberts Thesis Director ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. David Miller Dr. Edward Gbur Committee Member Committee Member ______________________________ Dr. Jeremy Ross Committee Member ABSTRACT Soybean farmers in Arkansas need best management practices (BMPs) that maximize the benefits of using cover crops including planting date and fertilization recommendations. An evaluation of cover crop species, planting dates, seeding rates, fertilizer rates, and N accumulation aids in providing these BMPs. The first objective of this research is to assess the effect of planting date on biomass production, as well as looking at the interaction of seeding rate or fertilizer rate for legumes or non-legumes, respectively, using Austrian winter pea ( Pisum sativum ), cereal rye ( Secale cereale), black oats ( Avena strigosa ), wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), and tillage radish ( Raphanus sativus ). Crops were planted on five dates in three locations across the primary crop production regions of Arkansas, using either variable Agrotain-treated urea rates or variable seeding rates. Agrotain is a N fertilizer additive that inhibits urease activity and limits ammonia volatilization loss potential. A 0.9 x 0.9 m sample of above-ground biomass was oven- dried and weighed to determine total cover crop biomass production. This research found that earlier planting dates were preferable for all species and that fertilizer or seeding rates did not have much effect on establishment and biomass across all planting dates. The second objective was to gauge the potential N credits by assessing the N accumulation via biological N fixation of three legumes in two locations. Three species were evaluated and compared for N accumulation at termination – Austrian winter pea, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa ) and crimson clover ( Trifolium incarnatum ). Pea biomass was taken from the above study, and pea, vetch, and clover biomasses were taken from an herbicide tolerance study. A 0.9x0.9 meter sample of above-ground biomass was oven-dried, ground, and analyzed for total N. This study found that Austrian winter pea generated more biomass on average, and accumulated the most N. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 2 History........................................................................................................................ 2 Broad Benefit ............................................................................................................. 3 Arkansas ..................................................................................................................... 4 Soybean ...................................................................................................................... 5 Soil Quality ................................................................................................................ 6 Weed Control ............................................................................................................. 7 Pest Control ................................................................................................................ 7 Erosion ....................................................................................................................... 9 Leaching ..................................................................................................................... 10 Catch Crops and Fertilizer ......................................................................................... 11 Legumes ..................................................................................................................... 12 Non-Legumes ............................................................................................................. 13 Microbiology.............................................................................................................. 13 Rye ............................................................................................................................. 15 Black Oats .................................................................................................................. 16 Radish ........................................................................................................................ 16 Wheat ......................................................................................................................... 17 Peas ............................................................................................................................ 18 Hairy Vetch ................................................................................................................ 19 Crimson Clover .......................................................................................................... 20 References .................................................................................................................. 21 Chapter 2 Effects of Planting Date, Seeding Rate and Fertilization Rate on Cover Crop Biomass Production ................................................................................................. 27 Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 28 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 29 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................... 30 Total Above-Ground Biomass ................................................................................... 31 Soybean Response and Statistical Analysis ............................................................... 32 Results and Discussion .............................................................................................. 32 Soybean Yield as Influenced by Cover Crop Biomass .............................................. 35 Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 36 References .................................................................................................................. 43 Chapter 3 Nitrogen Accumulation in Leguminous Cover Crops .......................................... 44 Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 45 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 45 Materials and Methods ............................................................................................... 47 Tissue Sampling and Analysis ................................................................................... 48 Statistical Analysis ..................................................................................................... 49 Results and Discussion .............................................................................................. 49 Nitrogen Accumulation by Species ........................................................................... 49 Nitrogen Credits ......................................................................................................... 50 Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 50 Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 51 References .................................................................................................................. 57 Chapter 4 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 58 Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 59 References .................................................................................................................