Cover Crops

Connecting agri-science with farming

Cover Crops

Brendan Paul 07767 310454

[email protected]


Types of Crops

1. Purpose is to benefit subsequent crops

2. Cover crops

1. Planted between normal crops

3. Catch crops

1. Short term version of cover crops

4. Companion crops

1. A frost sensitive species grown within a winter crop


Catch and Cover Crops – EFA • Catch Crops and Cover Crops - whilst this is classified as one type of EFA the crops

varies.

• Catch crops need to be established by 31st August and retained until at least 1st October in the BPS year.

• Cover crops need to be established by 1st October (in the BPS year) and retained until at least 15th January.

• Both however must consist of a sown mix of at least 2 different cover types (one cereal & one non-cereal).

Cereal: Non-Cereal : Rye Vetch Barley Phacelia Oats Mustard Lucerne Oilseed Radish (new for 2016)


Timing

AUGUST SEPT WK 1 WK 2 WK 3 WK 4 OCT WK 1 WK 2

white mustard

radish

rye

black oats

vetch

phacelia


Spring Timing

MARCH APRIL MAY

Westerwolds

Spring rye

Radish

Vetch

Phaceila

Mustard

Buckwheat


Benefits

Below Above Other

Increase organic matter Reduce soil erosion Grants

Improve soil structure Weed control Visual improvement

Nutrient capture Grazing Farming image

N fixation Better wildlife habitat Higher yields

Soil biota Use in AD plants Cultivation costs

Increase residue cycling Allelopathy


Increase organic matter


Suppresser 2: Black Oats 80% Phacelia 10%

Oil Radish 10% Mustard

Improve soil structure


Winter Pea

Daikon Radish

Rye

Purple Top Turnip

Mustard

Vetch

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http://reneesgardenseeds.blogspot.com/2013/12/sowing-cover-crop-mix.html&ei=2IZaVJPPBKLUmAWi14GICA&bvm=bv.78677474,d.cWc&psig=AFQjCNEzdNlPtzNaaFyjpXtwg9cNpWTApA&ust=1415305206317006


Nutrient capture

1. Anything in this sector is subject to huge variation

2. 40-70 kg / ha – growth, seed rate, weather etc

3. Establish by mid Sept, destroy by end Feb

4. N release varies – moisture, temperature, method and

timing of destruction

5. Efficiency varies by C:N ratio

ADAS Summary


Nutrient capture


Rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules convert atmospheric N into nitrogen

N fixation

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/PTGPOD/ososf-00005731-001_b~Clover-Trifolium-Species-with-Root-Nodules-of-Rhizobium-Species-Posters.jpg


N fixation

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

kg N/ha/year

Red clover (silage)

Lucerne (silage)

Field bean (grain crop)

Forage peas

White clover/grass (grazed)

Lupin (grain crop)

Vetch (cut & mulched)

Soya (grain crop)

White clover/grass (silage)

Figure 1. Provisional ranges for quantities of N fixed and remaining

after harvest

N fixed

N after harvest

(including roots)


Soil biota

1. Air

2. Water

3. Sand/silt/clay

4. Amf – competition time

5. Micro-organisms

6. Plants

7. Insects

8. Nematodes

9. Earthworms

10.Molluscs

11.Vertebrates



Increase residue cycling

Brassica cover crops such as rape, turnips, radishes, and mustards

accelerate the breakdown of residue such as wheat stubble. This can

help reduce C:N ratios of residue in the soil and allow for a warmer and

drier seedbed for earlier planting of crops the following spring.


Benefits

Below Above Other

Increase organic matter Reduce soil erosion Grants

Improve soil structure Weed control Visual improvement

N fixing Grazing Farming image

Provide nitrogen Better wildlife habitat Higher yields

Soil biota Use in AD plants Cultivation costs

Increase residue cycling Allelopathy


Reduced soil erosion

Slopes

Winter stubbles

Exposed sites

Later harvests


Weed control

1. What is your weed profile

2. Are you trying to encourage weeds and destroy them?

3. Or supress the germination

4. Blackgrass

1. Plough

2. Drill cover crop

3. Direct drill with minimal soil disturbance


1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Plough Fallow Forced Fallow Natural -Straw Rake

Oil Radish(Adios) @ 18

kg/ha

Black Oat @ 15kg/ha +

Vetches @ 15kg/ha

Phacelia @ 10kg/ha

White Mustard(Braco) @ 10

kg/ha

Average

Yie

ld t

/ha

@ 1

5%

m.c

. Cover Crops, Establishment and Drill Timing Trial (Stow Longa) - Yield by Pre-Drill

Preparation, Drill and Crop

Claydon (Winter Wheat Lemken (Winter Wheat)

P (Pre-Drill Prep) <0.001, LSD = 0.142t/ha, P (Drill/Crop) <0.001 , LSD = 0.093t/ha,

£639.59

£337.95

£680.36

£242.35

£547.12

£427.87


Grazing


HDC Project FV 299

Crib Sheet


Better wildlife habitat

Nettles attract lots of wildlife


Use for AD


No consistent measurable benefit can be attributable to green manures

in the second cropping year after incorporation with a conventional

rotation

Benefits

increases soil organic matter

Assistance in meeting regs

Lower N usage

But

no sustained yield benefits

no sustained nutrient differences

no sustained soil physical difference

ADHA 2006-8 summary


1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Plough Fallow Forced Fallow Natural -Straw Rake

Oil Radish(Adios) @ 18

kg/ha

Black Oat @ 15kg/ha +

Vetches @ 15kg/ha

Phacelia @ 10kg/ha

White Mustard(Braco) @ 10

kg/ha

Average

Yie

ld t

/ha

@ 1

5%

m.c

.

Claydon (Winter Wheat Lemken (Winter Wheat) Lemken Spring Wheat

P (Pre-Drill Prep) <0.001, LSD = 0.142t/ha, P (Drill/Crop) <0.001 , LSD = 0.093t/ha,

£639.59

£337.95

£680.36

£242.35

£547.12

£427.87


Fodder radish, N rate and Spring barley



Applied soon after drilling 21.3.13 Applied on 26.3.13

Untreated Untreated

radish 90 kg / ha Untreated

radish 90 kg / ha 30 kg / ha





BACK


Biomass production

BACK


1. Cover crops will help control blackgrass

1. but we are struggling to get the expected yield benefit

2. Several species will give best soil structure improvement

3. Mustard is as good as anything at drying the soil best for late

autumn drilling?

1. But this year it is big and we may have trouble destroying it effectively

4. For best establishment

1. GOOD SEED/SOIL CONTACT AND DRILL EARLY!

2. Then minimum disturbance with the drill

5. Cost base needs more work to justify

6. Yields are inconsistent

Summary


Cover Crops


[email protected]


Allelopathy

Buckwheat

• Is a frost sensitive

• Fast growing

• Either grown as a grain crop or a

cover crop

• It’s exudates reduce development

of other plants

• For those of you who use Callisto

on maize it comes from

bottlebrush plant


0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

140.0

160.0

180.0

No

buckwheat

Sown with

rhizomes

One week

after

rhizomes

Two weeks

after

rhizomes

Three

weeks after

rhizomes

Mean

fre

sh

wg

t (g

) co

uch

Allelopathy

43% 35% 33% 15%


Higher densities of buckwheat significantly reduced

couch fresh weight (g)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

No buckwheat Buckwheat @

80 kg/ha

Buckwheat @

160 kg/ha

Mean

fre

sh

wg

ht

(g)

co

uch

26% 37%

Meaned across all treatments £200/h £400/h


Higher densities of buckwheat significantly reduced

couch fresh weight (g)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

No buckwheat Buckwheat @

80 kg/ha

Buckwheat @

160 kg/ha

Mean

fre

sh

wg

ht

(g)

co

uch

26% 37%

Meaned across all treatments £200/h £400/h

But also reduced wheat plants

BACK


1. Reduction of black-grass – even from the later drilling date with cover

crops

2. Yield improvements in year one – debateable

3. Don’t disturb the soil when drilling the next crop

4. the Lemken Solitaire using discs only to create a low disturbance profile

outyielded the Claydon system by around one tonne/ha across the

various treatments

Blackgrass

BACK


Lemken Disc ‘DD’ type roll v ribbed roll

• Soil structure ok in top few inches,

however a pan is quickly reached at a shallow depth.


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

3" 6" 9" 12" 15" 18"

Pre

ss

ure

lb

s/s

q in

ch

Depth

Lemken 'DD' type roll

Lemken ribbed roll

BACK


Stubble - Straw Rake

• Compaction obvious and

very easily smeared


Adios Oil Radish @ 18kg/ha


Oil Radish

• Good tap root which shows

some attempt to break

through the compacted layer.

• Lateral roots which enhance

the crumb structure.


Black Oat (Panache) @ 15kg/ha +

Purple Vetch 10kg + Savane Hairy Vetch 5kg


Black Oat and Vetch

• Very good crumb structure

established, combination of both

lateral and deep roots from the three

different species present.

• Breaks through compaction well.


Phacelia @ 10kg/ha


Phacelia • Very good system of lateral

roots produced creating a

good crumb structure,

within top 10cm

• Lacks the ability to break

through any compaction

below 10cm.


Braco White Mustard @ 10kg/ha

• Not as deep rooting as Oil Radish,

tendency to bend and twist as a

result of compaction, therefore

doesn’t break through the pan.

• Acts as a water pump, drying the

top layer of soil.


Cover Crops


[email protected]

Documents

Cover Crops