Grazing cover crops in continuous corn production in east‐central Mississippi

Abstract

Cover crop grazing can be used as a strategy to meet nutritional requirements for livestock while simultaneously enhancing soil ecosystem services without sacrificing subsequent crop yield. Field research was conducted in east‐central Mississippi from 2019 to 2021 on a sandy loam soil to assess the impacts that grazing, tillage, and cover crop species had on corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield and soil characteristics. The main plot was grazed (G) and un‐grazed (UG) cover crops, tillage (conventional and no‐till [NT]) was the subplot, and cover crop species the sub‐subplots. Cover crops were grazed using beef (Bos taurus) heifers at a stocking density of approximately 3300 kg ha−1 each growing season as forage mass (FM) allowed. No differences were observed in FM among cover crop treatments; however, FM, crude protein (CP), and total digestible nutrients (TDN) were affected by tillage and grazing. Corn grain yield was unaffected by grazing or tillage but was impacted by cover crop treatment. Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.; 11.99 Mg ha−1), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.; 11.67 Mg ha−1), and cereal rye + radish (Raphanus sativus L.; 12.07 Mg ha−1) had greater grain yield compared to the un‐planted control (10.99 Mg ha−1). The combination of G × no‐till (NT) resulted in greater penetration resistance (71.07 J); however, G plots contributed to greater organic matter(OM) concentrations. Overall, our data suggest that complimenting G and NT practices does not impact subsequent corn grain yield and could add value to cover cropping systems.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Variation of Cultivated Panax quinquefolius

“…For seed petiolule number per plant, groups 1, 4, 7, 11, 15, 17, 18, and 19 samples had a significantly average higher number than those of groups 12 and 20 (Table 4). The average number of red seeds per plant of group 4 was significantly greater than those of group 6, 10, and 15 samples, while green seeds per plant of group 15 were significantly greater than those of groups 1,6,8,10,11,12,14,17,19,20,21, and 22 samples (Table 5). Average number of total seeds per plant for groups 3, 4, 15, and 18 were significantly higher than those of groups 10, 19, and 22 samples.…”

“…Phenotyping involves the observation and measurement of observable traits, including morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics [10]. While there are studies phenotyping wild American ginseng [11,12], the majority of the literature is just reports of average phenotypes for cultivated American ginseng [13,14]. However, in addition to the genetics of the plant, environmental conditions can greatly affect the phenotype of ginseng.…”