Demonstrating Cover Crop Mixtures on Iowa Farmland: Management, Soil Health, and Water Quality Benefits

Licht, Mark A.; Juchems, Liz; Comito, Jacqueline; Helmers, Matt; Carlson, Sarah

doi:10.31274/farmprogressreports-180814-1450

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Early season weed suppression with cover crops did not depend on whether it was a mixture or a single cover crop species. This was similar to reports by Brust and Gerhards (2012), Halde et al (2014), Smith et al (2014), and Licht et al (2016). An underlying principle for using cover crops to provide weed suppression is to maximize residue biomass and surface cover, and this is not necessarily guaranteed by cover crops in a mixture (Brennan and Smith, 2005;Hayden et al, 2012;Gawęda et al, 2014;Smith et al, 2014;Nielsen et al, 2015), whereas in some cases, a single species provided similar or more biomass compared with a mixture (Hayden et al, 2012;Gawęda et al, 2014;Mehring et al, 2016;Liebert et al, 2017).…”

Section: Impact Of Type Of Cover Crop and Mixture On Weed Suppressionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Cover Crop for Early Season Weed Suppression in Crops: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

W eeds occurring during early crop growth need to be removed because these are known to be most competitive with crops (Knezevic et al., 2002; Norsworthy and Oliviera, 2004; Tursun et al., 2016; Osipitan et al., 2016). Uncontrolled weeds at this early growth stage could cause irreversible and substantial crop yield losses (Knezevic et al., 2002, Adigun et al., 2014). If weeds are controlled at this time, crops can get a head start, achieve canopy closure, and compete effectively with later emerging weeds (Rajcan and Swanton, 2001). Typical early season weed control options include pre-plant, pre-emergence, and early post emergence herbicide applications in no-till cropping systems or mechanical cultivation in tilled systems. Herbicides provide an easy and cost-effective way of controlling weeds in crops and result in increased crop vigor and yield. Conversely, they are also a potential threat to the environment (e.g., pesticides residues in surface and/or groundwater) and in some areas, the development of resistant weed biotypes has reduced the utility of herbicides. In tillage-based cropping systems, mechanical operations such as plowing, harrowing, disking, and cultivating are used. Tillage for weed control has been utilized for a long time (Abdin et al., 2000) as it reduces weed density. At the same time, weed seeds receive a brief exposure to sunlight, due to soil inversion after tillage that can trigger their germination. There are still concerns about the negative impact of tillage on soil health and topsoil erosion (Loaiza Puerta et al., 2018). Cover crops have been documented to improve soil quality and minimize environmental degradation while providing a level of weed suppression in crops

show abstract

Section: Impact Of Type Of Cover Crop and Mixture On Weed Suppressionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Cover Crop for Early Season Weed Suppression in Crops: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The discrepant coverage of nutrient excesses in water highlights the possibility that public and farmer perceptions of water and environmental problems may not be reflective of current scientific understanding. Beyond the potential role that scientific literacy may being playing, the FBS, a highly circulated and influential communication channel in the farming community is portraying nutrient issues in ways that call into question the assertions of numerous scientific authorities (EPA; 2017; Jones et al, 2017;Licht et al, 2016;Morefield et al, 2016;Osterberg & Kline;. This may be resulting in yet another disconnect between the scientific community and the public, much like Weathers and Kendall's (2015) findings underlying their argument that "there is a serious disconnect between what the public health community knows about the health threats associated with climate change and what the public knows" (p. 606).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Origin of excess nutrients. Despite there being little question among the scientific community regarding the source of nutrient excess in Iowa's water (EPA; 2017; Jones et al, 2017;Licht et al, 2016;Morefield et al, 2016;Osterberg & Kline;, this was a key issue and point of contention addressed within many articles. Numerous articles appearing in the two agricultural sources and those written by individuals with agricultural ties in the DMR presented the issue of nutrient excesses as natural, dependent primarily on weather, as a consequence of "Mother Nature," or "God's will."…”

Section: Inrs Is Not Enough and Needs To Impose Regulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Media, influence, and agriculture

Krajewski

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

____________________________________________ Margaret Carrelii To my grandmothers, Jadwiga Krajewska and Betty W. Thrift.iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the support and advice given to me by each of my committee members over the past several years. Thank you, Dr. Kajsa Dalrymple; Dr. Shelly Campo; Dr. Rachel Young; Dr. Melissa Tully; and Dr. Margaret Carrel-I could not have written this dissertation without you. Each of these women also served as role models for me personally and continue to motivate me for my future career in academia.In particular, Kajsa E. Dalrymple was integral to my entire doctoral program experience, with her role as mentor beginning years prior to my official enrollment in the doctoral program.Correspondingly, it was the invaluable advice of my Master's degree program academic advisor, Dr. Shelly Campo, who prompted me to connect with Dr. Dalrymple originally. The guidance of these two graduate advisors has positively impacted my academic career and personal life in more ways than I can express. I also could not have made it through the past six years of graduate school, or any other time in my life leading to those years, without the help of my parents, Diana Thrift and Witold Krajewski. Their support and constructive criticism enabled me to get to this current place in my life, and complete both my Master's and Doctorate degrees. My sister, Sophia Krajewski, also deserves recognition for the motivation she provided me to finish this degree by her own completion of veterinary school several years ago. The final product of this dissertation and my success throughout most of the doctoral program was in large part due to my extremely supportive significant other, Matthew Tarnoff. Matt provided the love, understanding, excitement, motivation, and helpful critiques I needed to make it through the challenges of writing a dissertation and completing my Ph.D.iv Finally, I want to thank the over 100 agricultural producers, and several other key informants, who I was lucky enough to spend a significant amount of time talking to over the lastyear. These people all graciously gave me not only their time, but also expended significant cognitive energy in answering each and every one of my questions. These people are the real reason that this dissertation project was accomplished. v ABSTRACT In Iowa, the state with the largest percent of its land used for agriculture (90 percent) in the nation, compromised water quality is a chief concern among experts. The primary problem is related to the negative environmental impacts caused by nutrient runoff from fields. Although several innovative land-management practices have demonstrated nutrient reduction potential and other soil health related benefits, the practices are not widely utilized on Iowa farm fields.Thus, water quality is at the center of a contentious debate in the state and many farmers are receiving contradictory advice depending on the source of the information.Media and interpersonal communication channels play a primary role...

show abstract

Demonstrating Cover Crop Mixtures on Iowa Farmland: Management, Soil Health, and Water Quality Benefits

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Cover Crop for Early Season Weed Suppression in Crops: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Cover Crop for Early Season Weed Suppression in Crops: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Media, influence, and agriculture

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About