• Authors:
    • Strickland, T. C.
    • Bosch, D. D.
    • Webster, T. M.
    • Truman, C. C.
    • Potter, T. L.
  • Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
  • Volume: 59
  • Issue: 14
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Intensive glyphosate use has contributed to the evolution and occurrence of glyphosate-resistant weeds that threaten production of many crops. Sustained use of this highly valued herbicide requires rotation and/or substitution of herbicides with different modes of action. Cotton growers have shown considerable interest in the protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor, fomesafen. Following registration for cotton in 2008, use has increased rapidly. Environmental fate data in major use areas are needed to appropriately evaluate risks. Field-based rainfall simulation was used to evaluate fomesafen runoff potential with and without irrigation incorporation in a conventional tillage system (CT) and when conservation tillage (CsT) was practiced with and without cover crop residue rolling. Without irrigation incorporation, relatively high runoff, about 5% of applied, was measured from the CT system, indicating that this compound may present a runoff risk. Runoff was reduced by >50% when the herbicide was irrigation incorporated after application or when used with a CsT system. Data indicate that these practices should be implemented whenever possible to reduce fomesafen runoff risk. Results also raised concerns about leaching and potential groundwater contamination and crop injury due to rapid washoff from cover crop residues in CsT systems. Further work is needed to address these concerns.
  • Authors:
    • Nichols, R. L.
    • Kelton, J. A.
    • Culpepper, S. A.
    • Balkcom, K. S.
    • Price, A. J.
    • Schomberg, H.
  • Source: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
  • Volume: 66
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Conservation tillage reduces the physical movement of soil to the minimum required for crop establishment and production. When consistently practiced as a soil and crop management system, it greatly reduces soil erosion and is recognized for the potential to improve soil quality and water conservation and plant available water. Adoption of conservation tillage increased dramatically with the advent of transgenic, glyphosate-resistant crops that permitted in-season, over-the-top use of glyphosate (N-[phosphonomethyl] glycine), a broad-spectrum herbicide with very low mammalian toxicity and minimal potential for off-site movement in soil or water. Glyphosate-resistant crops are currently grown on approximately 70 million ha (173 million ac) worldwide. The United States has the most hectares (45 million ha [99 million ac]) of transgenic, glyphosate-resistant cultivars and the greatest number of hectares (46 million ha [114 million ac]) in conservation tillage. The practice of conservation tillage is now threatened by the emergence and rapid spread of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri [S.]Wats.), one of several amaranths commonly called pigweeds. First identified in Georgia, it now has been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Another closely related dioecious amaranth, or pigweed, common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis Sauer), has also developed resistance to glyphosate in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and. Missouri. Hundreds of thousands of conservation tillage hectares, some currently under USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service conservation program contracts, are at risk of being converted to higher-intensity tillage systems due to the inability to control these glyphosate-resistant Amaranthus species in conservation tillage systems using traditional technologies. The decline of conservation tillage is inevitable without the development and rapid adoption of integrated, effective weed control strategies. Traditional and alternative weed control strategies, such as the utilization of crop and herbicide rotation and integration of high residue cereal cover crops, are necessary in order to sustain conservation tillage practices.
  • Authors:
    • Thorp, K. R.
    • Malone, R. W.
    • Helmers, M. J.
    • Qi, Z.
  • Source: Transactions of the ASABE
  • Volume: 54
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Planting winter cover crops into corn-soybean rotations is a potential approach for reducing subsurface drainage and nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N.) loss. However, the long-term impact of this practice needs investigation. We evaluated the RZWQM2 model against comprehensive field data (2005-2009) in Iowa and used this model to study the long-term (1970-2009) hydrologic and nitrogen cycling effects of a winter cover crop within a corn-soybean rotation. The calibrated RZWQM2 model satisfactorily simulated crop yield, biomass, and N uptake with percent error (PE) within +/- 15% and relative root mean square error (RRMSE) 0.50, ratio of RMSE to standard error (RSR)
  • Authors:
    • Pederson, C. H.
    • Christianson, R. D.
    • Helmers, M. J.
    • Qi, Z.
  • Source: Journal of Environmental Quality
  • Volume: 40
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N) loading to surface water bodies from subsurface drainage is an environmental concern in the midwestern United States. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of various land covers on NO(3)-N loss through subsurface drainage. Land-cover treatments included (i) conventional corn (Zea mays L.) (C) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (S); (ii) winter rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop before corn (rC) and before soybean (rS); (iii) kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) as a living mulch for corn (kC); and (iv) perennial forage of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) mixed with clovers (PF). In spring, total N uptake by aboveground biomass of rye in rC, rye in rS, kura clover in kC, and grasses in PF were 14.2, 31.8, 87.0, and 46.3 kg N ha(-1), respectively. Effect of land covers on subsurface drainage was not significant. The NO(3)-N loss was significantly lower for kC and PF than C and S treatments (p
  • Authors:
    • Kaleita, A. L.
    • Helmers, M. J.
    • Qi, Z.
  • Source: Agricultural Water Management
  • Volume: 98
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Modification of land cover systems is being studied in subsurface drained Iowa croplands due to their potential benefits in increasing soil water and nitrogen depletion thus reducing drainage and NO(3)-N loss in the spring period. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of modified land covers on soil water dynamics. In each individual year, modified land covers including winter rye-corn (rC), winter rye-soybean (rS), kura clover as a living mulch for corn (kC), and perennial forage (PF), as well as conventional corn (C) and soybean (S), were grown in subsurface drained plots in north-central Iowa. Results showed that subsurface drainage was not reduced under modified land covers in comparison to conventional corn and soybean. Soil water storage (SWS) was significantly reduced by PF treatments during the whole growing seasons and by kC during May through July when compared to the cropping system with corn or soybean only (p
  • Authors:
    • Price, A. J.
    • Balkcom, K. S.
    • Arriaga, F. J.
    • Schwab, E. B.
    • Raper, R. L.
    • Kornecki, T. S.
  • Source: Transactions of the ASABE
  • Volume: 54
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The southeastern U.S. has a tremendous potential to grow a biomass crop during winter months when cash crops are not normally produced. These cover crops have proven to be extremely valuable to reduce soil erosion and improve soil quality. However, an opportunity to potentially harvest a portion of the cover crop for bioenergy purposes exists and needs to be considered to maximize the production potential of southeastern soils. An experiment was performed to determine if harvesting these cover crops could adversely affect soil properties or subsequent cash and cover crop yields. The experiment also included the effects of conducting an in-row subsoiling operation at different times of the year Results from cone index measurements indicated that soil strength was significantly increased when the cover crop was harvested and not left on the soil surface to decompose. Not surprisingly, cotton and peanut cash crop yields declined by an average of 9% when the cover crop was harvested. Succeeding cover crop yields were also reduced by 17% due to the harvesting of previous cover crops. Conducting an in-row subsoiling operation in the fall of the year prior to planting the cover crop increased cover crop biomass by more than 18% over spring in-row subsoiling but had little impact on cash crop yields. Recommendations from this study should include a caution to producers who may want to consider their cover crops as a potential bioenergy crop. Reductions in both cash and cover crop production can result if cover crops are harvested instead of left on the surface to enhance soil quality. Additionally, scheduling a necessary in-row subsoiling operation in the fall of the year instead of waiting until the spring will improve cover crop yields.
  • Authors:
    • Mauli, M. M.
    • de Lima, G. P.
    • Pereira Nóbrega, L. H.
    • Rosa, D. M.
  • Source: Semina: Ciências Agrárias (Londrina)
  • Volume: 32
  • Issue: 4
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The no-tillage system management is considered as an agricultural system very close to sustainability, since it causes less impact to the environment. The crops rotation, when well managed, includes the use of green manure; and leguminous are included in this system as they bring a number of benefits. This context, the study aimed tested leguminous as cover plants on soil with a no-tillage system regarding the growth, yield and maize seeds quality. This decision-making looks for alternatives that contribute for the agroecosystem sustainability, since they allow rational adoption of green manure in production units. The experiment was carried out in the field with leguminous species dwarf mucuna beans, dwarf pigeon pea and stylosanthes, sown in October 2007, in 4 x 5 m plots, with five replications. At 90 days after the cover crops sowing, the leguminous plants were grazed and corn plants were sown 15 days after grazing on waste. The plants heights were determined during the culture development. At the laboratory, after harvest, the productivity and physiological quality of seeds were determined. The experimental design was completely randomized and the averages were compared by the Scott-Knott test at 5% of significance. At 60 days after the maize crop sowing, the treatments with dwarf mucuna beans and dwarf pigeon pea showed higher heights. The other analyzed parameters did not differ among themselves, showing that the treatments not interfere on the maize crop. Actually, it is an alternative to the integrated management of species concerning the summer green manure and crop rotation in no-tillage system.
  • Authors:
    • Isla, R.
    • Salmeron, M.
    • Cavero, J.
  • Source: Field Crops Research
  • Volume: 123
  • Issue: 2
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Under semiarid Mediterranean conditions irrigated maize has been associated to diffuse nitrate pollution of surface and groundwater. Cover crops grown during winter combined with reduced N fertilization to maize could reduce N leaching risks while maintaining maize productivity. A field experiment was conducted testing two different cover crop planting methods (direct seeding versus seeding after conventional tillage operations) and four different cover crops species (barley, oilseed rape, winter rape, and common vetch), and a control (bare soil). The experiment started in November 2006 after a maize crop fertilized with 300 kg N ha(-1) and included two complete cover crop-maize rotations. Maize was fertilized with 300 kg N ha(-1) at the control treatment, and this amount was reduced to 250 kg N ha(-1) in maize after a cover crop. Direct seeding of the cover crops allowed earlier planting dates than seeding after conventional tillage, producing greater cover crop biomass and N uptake of all species in the first year. In the following year, direct seeding did not increase cover crop biomass due to a poorer plant establishment. Barley produced more biomass than the other species but its N concentration was much lower than in the other cover crops, resulting in higher C:N ratio (> 26). Cover crops reduced the N leaching risks as soil N content in spring and at maize harvest was reduced compared to the control treatment. Maize yield was reduced by 4 Mg ha(-1) after barley in 2007 and by 1 Mg ha(-1) after barley and oilseed rape in 2008. The maize yield reduction was due to an N deficiency caused by insufficient N mineralization from the cover crops due to a high C:N ratio (barley) or low biomass N content (oilseed rape) and/or lack of synchronization with maize N uptake. Indirect chlorophyll measurements in maize leaves were useful to detect N deficiency in maize after cover crops. The use of vetch, winter rape and oilseed rape cover crops combined with a reduced N fertilization to maize was efficient for reducing N leaching risks while maintaining maize productivity. However, the reduction of maize yield after barley makes difficult its use as cover crop. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  • Authors:
    • Drinkwater, L. E.
    • Schipanski, M. E.
  • Source: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
  • Volume: 90
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: The incorporation of legume cover crops into annual grain rotations remains limited, despite extensive evidence that they can reduce negative environmental impacts of agroecosystems while maintaining crop yields. Diversified grain rotations that include a winter cereal have a unique niche for interseeding cover crops. To understand how management-driven soil fertility differences and inter-seeding with grains influenced red clover (Trifolium pratense) N(2) fixation, we estimated biological N(2) fixation (BNF) in 2006 and 2007, using the (15)N natural abundance method across 15 farm fields characterized based on the reliance on BNF derived N inputs as a fraction of total N inputs. Plant treatments included winter grain with and without interseeded red clover, monoculture clover, monoculture orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), and clover-orchardgrass mixtures. Fields with a history of legume-based management had larger labile soil nitrogen pools and lower soil P levels. Orchardgrass biomass was positively correlated with the management-induced N fertility gradient, but we did not detect any relationship between soil N availability and clover N(2) fixation. Interseeding clover with a winter cereal did not alter winter grain yield, however, clover production was lower during the establishment year when interseeded with taller winter grain varieties, most likely due to competition for light. Interseeding clover increased the % N from fixation relative to the monoculture clover (72% vs. 63%, respectively) and the average total N(2) fixed at the end of the first growing season (57 vs. 47 kg N ha(-1), respectively). Similar principles could be applied to develop more cash crop-cover crop complementary pairings that provide both an annual grain harvest and legume cover crop benefits.
  • Authors:
    • Jaynes, D. B.
    • Malone, R. W.
    • Singer, J. W.
    • Ma, L.
  • Source: Agricultural Water Management
  • Volume: 98
  • Issue: 10
  • Year: 2011
  • Summary: Studies quantifying winter annual cover crop effects on water quality are mostly limited to short-term studies at the plot scale. Long-term studies scaling-up water quality effects of cover crops to the watershed scale provide more integrated spatial responses from the landscape. The objective of this research was to quantify N loads from artificial subsurface drainage (tile drains) in a subbasin of the Walnut Creek, Iowa (Story county) watershed using the hybrid RZWQ-DSSAT model for a maize (Zen mays L.)soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and maize-maize-soybean rotations in all phases with and without a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cover crop during a 25-year period from 1981 to 2005. Simulated cover crop dry matter (DM) and N uptake averaged 1854 and 36 kgha(-1) in the spring in the maize-soybean phase of the 2-year rotation and 1895 and 36 kg ha(-1) in the soybean-maize phase during 1981-2005. In the 3-year rotation, cover crop DM and N uptake averaged 2047 and 44 kg ha(-1) in the maize-maize-soybean phase, 2039 and 43 kg ha(-1) in the soybean-maize-maize phase. and 1963 and 43 kg ha(-1) in the maize-soybean-maize phase during the same period. Annual N loads to tile drains averaged 29 kg ha(-1) in the maize-soybean phase and 25 kg ha(-1) in the soybean-maize phase compared to 21 and 20 kg ha(-1) in the same phases with a cover crop. In the 3-year rotation. annual N loads averaged 46, 43, and 45 kg ha(-1) in each phase of the rotation without a cover crop and 37, 35, and 35 kg ha(-1) with a cover crop. These results indicate using a winter annual cover crop can reduce annual N loads to tile drains 20-28% in the 2-year rotation and 19-22% in the 3-year rotation at the watershed subbasin scale over a 25-year period. Published by Elsevier B.V.