Utilizing Late Season Cover Crops in a No-Till System

Project Overview

FNC06-615
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2006: $5,937.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2008
Region: North Central
State: South Dakota
Project Coordinator:

Annual Reports

Commodities

  • Vegetables: lentils, turnips

Practices

  • Crop Production: cover crops, no-till, nutrient cycling, tissue analysis
  • Education and Training: farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, workshop
  • Natural Resources/Environment: carbon sequestration
  • Pest Management: allelopathy, mulches - living
  • Soil Management: earthworms, soil analysis, nutrient mineralization, soil microbiology, soil chemistry, organic matter, soil physics, soil quality/health

    Proposal summary:

    Late summer cover crops will be utilized to compete against weeds, scavenge mineral N, fix atmospheric N, enhance biological activity and increase crop residue on the soil surface in a no-tillage cropping system. This increase in crop residue should improve soil organic matter, increase water infiltration, enhance snow catch, and decrease soil moisture evaporation sufficiently to improve crop water relations in areas of South Dakota.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.