Planting Date and Staggered Seeding of Rye–Vetch Mixtures: Biomass, Nitrogen, and Legume Winter Survival

Abstract

Mixtures of cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) and the legume hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) are used to provide fixed N in balance with other important cover crop services, but late planting and interference from rye can limit vetch productivity. This 2‐yr study in Michigan investigated how fall planting dates influence rye–vetch cover crop biomass quantity and quality in the spring, and evaluated whether staggering (delaying) rye seeding could improve vetch performance (biomass production, N fixation, and winter survival) in mixtures. Treatments consisted of a two‐way factorial of three vetch planting dates (late August, mid‐September, and late September) and three lengths of rye seeding stagger (co‐seeded, short stagger, and long stagger). Later planting of co‐seeded mixtures generally led to reduced total shoot biomass and lower proportions of vetch, resulting in cover crop residues with less vetch N and a higher total C/N. For earlier planting dates, delaying rye seeding until vetch emergence (short stagger) increased vetch shoot biomass by 760 to 1060 kg ha−1 (30–36 kg vetch N ha−1) relative to co‐seeding. Staggered seeding provided no benefit to vetch biomass at later planting dates, and delaying rye seeding until the vetch three to four leaf stage (long stagger) reduced vetch winter survival by 12 to 42% compared with co‐seeding. Additional research is needed to determine whether potential on‐farm benefits of rye–vetch staggered seeding justify the additional management complexity involved and possible tradeoffs with other cover crop services.

Influence of Catch Crops on Yield and Chemical Composition of Winter Garlic Grown for Bunch Harvesting

“…According to Hayden et al [44] and Tribouillois et al [45], an effective cover crop accumulates most of the nutrients in the summer-autumn period. The collected minerals and catch crops built into the biomass are released in spring in soil activity processes, due to which they can be absorbed by the plants [35].…”

“…The least crude fiber was determined in the leaves of plants grown together with clover and mustard cover, and the most in cultivations with millet. Hayden et al [44] expressed the view that large amounts of organic matter ensure the optimal circulation of minerals and create conditions for plants to use them more slowly and thus produce lower amounts of crude fiber than when grown on uncovered soil.…”

Impacts of cover crop planting dates on soils after four years

“…Early CC planting may consist of drilling following a short‐season crop, broadcast seeding, or aerially seeding. While data on winter CC biomass production under different planting dates are relatively common (Balkcom, Massey, Mosjidis, Price, & Enloe, 2011; Duiker, 2014; Hayden, Ngouajio, & Brainard, 2015; Lawson, Cogger, Bary, & Fortuna, 2015; Murrell et al., 2017) published data on CC planting date effects on soil properties are limited. For example, in Michigan, Hayden et al.…”

“…For example, in Michigan, Hayden et al. (2015) found that planting hairy vetch ( Vicia villosa L.)–rye CC mix in late August to early September increased biomass production by 54–65% compared to planting in mid‐September. Similar increases in biomass production were observed by Lawson et al.…”

“…Pre‐harvest planting of CCs combined with warm temperatures and relatively high precipitation in fall through spring, can improve CC biomass production compared to cold or dry fall and spring and little snowfall (Duiker et al., 2014). Previous studies assessing CC planting date effects mainly focused on agronomic factors, CC biomass production, or soil nitrate concentration and not specifically on soil properties (Curran et al., 2018; Hashemi, Farsad, Sadeghpour, Weis, & Herbert, 2013; Hayden et al., 2015; Liebman et al., 2018; Parr, Grossman, Reberg‐Horton, Brinton, & Crozier, 2011). Thus, the effects of pre‐harvest (broadcast seeding) and post‐harvest drill‐seeded CCs on soil properties have not been directly compared.…”