Cover Crops
Cover crops provide crucial benefits to maintaining soil health. Without the use of cover crops, there is risk of top soil erosion and loss of nutrients. K-State is proud to be an active member of the Midwest Cover Crops Council, and the Cover Crop Decision Tool is an excellent place to get started when choosing a cover crop that is the right fit for your system.
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Our experiment stations regularly publish research article to the Prairie Press. We've curated a selection of these articles dedicated to cover crops and their usage.
Evaluating Multi-Species Cover Crops for Forage Production
Cover crops offer potential benefits for improving soil health, but establishment and management costs can be expensive. One way for farmers to recover these costs is to graze the forage, which benefits producers by integrating crop and animal production. More information is needed on the potential forage quantity and quality for grazing livestock of cover crops and mixed species of cover crops. Researchers have suggested that different plant species complement each other, but additional work is needed to determine how best to balance forage production and how competitive the various species are when added to a mix.
Impact of Cover Crops and Phosphorus Fertilizer Management on Nutrient Cycling in No-Tillage Corn-Soybean Rotation
Cover crops and fertilizer management tools used on soybean fields had a positive impact on the nutrient content of the soil. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of cover crops and different fertilizer management techniques on the amount of nutrients being removed and recycled in the soil system. This study was conducted at Ashland Bottoms, KS, from 2014-2016.
Cover Crop Impacts on Soil Water Status
Water is a primary concern for producers in the Great Plains; as such, research is warranted to quantify how much cover crops affect the amount of soil water available to subsequent cash crops. Cover crop mixes have been marketed as a means to conserve water in no-till cropping systems following winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) harvest.
Cover Crop Effects on Corn in a Corn/Soybean Rotation
A research study was established in 2013 in a corn and soybean rotation with cover crops planted soon after each crop harvest. A variety of complex cover crop mixtures were evaluated ranging from single-specie to 7-specie mixtures. Cover crops were terminated in the spring prior to corn planting. Corn yield responded differently among the three years of the study.
Fallow Replacement Crop Effects on Wheat and Grain Sorghum Yields
Producers are interested in growing cover crops and reducing fallow. Growing a crop during the fallow period would increase profitability if crop benefits exceeded expenses. Benefits of growing a cover crop were shown in high rainfall areas, but limited information is available on growing cover crops in place of fallow in the semiarid Great Plains. A study was conducted from 2007–2017 that evaluated cover crops, annual forages, and short season grain crops grown in place of fallow.
Cover Crop System to Control Charcoal Rot in Soybeans
This research compares methods of controlling charcoal rot in soybean cultivars from three maturity groups commonly grown in southeast Kansas. The results indicate that a mustard plant that produces high levels of glucosinolates can be used as a cover crop to reduce the charcoal rot disease in soybeans.