Evaluating the potential for double cropping in Canada: effect of seeding date and relative maturity on the development and yield of maize, white bean, and soybean

Abstract

Double cropping is not presently a common practice in Canada. The long-term climate averages, however, suggest that the practice should be possible in the most southern portions of the country. The study described herein represents the first simultaneous evaluation of three crops—maize, soybean, and white bean—seeded at five seeding dates spanning late June through early August in the most southern region of Canada. Germplasm was chosen such that physiological maturity could theoretically be reached if seeded following winter wheat. Results indicate that, following summer seeding, development in all three crops was primarily driven by thermal requirements. Only the pod filling stage of soybean was influenced by the declining daylengths of autumn, and this effect was most pronounced in germplasm of longer relative maturity. Yields of white bean and maturity group 00 soybean were unaffected by seeding up to the third week of July, whereas yield of maize and higher maturity group soybeans declined from June onward. For the latter, declining yields were primarily attributable to the interaction of seeding date and relative maturity and their effect on season length. These results clearly demonstrate that with the appropriate selection of germplasm, there is a seeding date window where maize, soybean, or white bean can be expected to reach physiological maturity as a double crop in Canada.

Effect of seeding date on winter canola (Brassica napus L.) yield and oil quality in southern Ontario

“…The addition of a broad-leaved winter crop to the current crop rotation would enhance the options for herbicide resistance management particularly of the problematic winter annual species, Conyza canadensis L. As a broad-leaved alternative to winter wheat, winter canola could facilitate the management of winter annual grasses, and it has been demonstrated that the yield of winter wheat increased when it followed canola in crop rotations (Bushong et al 2012). The incorporation of winter canola into rotation also raised the possibility of double cropping with soybean, as the harvest of winter canola is advanced relative to that of winter wheat (Page et al 2019).…”

Perennial forages in cold‐humid areas: Adaptation and resilience‐building strategies toward climate change

“…This practice is projected to increase and stabilize forage production, increase nutrient uptake, and reduce N 2 O emissions (Castaño‐Sánchez et al., 2022; Rotz et al., 2016b; Veltman et al., 2018); the potential decrease in forage corn yield would be more than offset by winter cereal silage yield. Double cropping is projected to increase notably by mid‐century in the northern United States (Hristov et al., 2018; Seifert & Lobell, 2015) and might increase in southern areas of Canada, provided that suitable cultivars are used (Page et al., 2019). Winter survival of some winter cereal species, however, might be compromised by overwintering conditions under future climate conditions (Hristov et al., 2018).…”

Evaluation of New Fall Rye Cultivar ‘Bono’ in Single and Double Cropping Systems

“…The nutrient yield of crude protein and total digestible nutrients per hectare were calculated by multiplying crop forage yield (kg ha −1 ) by nutrient content (% DM) to allow a comparison of nutrient yield potential for animal feed production among treatment forages. Since N taken up by fall rye was mainly partitioned to the shoot material, measurement of rye cover crop aboveground biomass provides the main N amount available for recycling from the fall rye cover crop and main amount for estimation of fall rye cover crop N uptake [1]. The plant yield response to total N in the plant as forage N use efficiency was calculated as harvested plant DMY (kg ha −1 ) divided by total N (kg N ha −1 ) in the plant.…”

“…One possibility for intensification of agriculture is the practice of double croppingsequentially harvesting two crops in one year from the same parcel of land [1]. Double cropping, which involves producing a second crop after the harvest of the first crop, offers an opportunity to utilize the late-season heat and moisture resources after cash crop harvest [2].…”