Using Cover Crops to Recycle Nutrients in an Arkansas No-till Corn System
Using Cover Crops to Recycle Nutrients in an Arkansas No-till Corn System

Author: Kelsey Lynn Hoegenauer

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13:

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Cover crops can provide many benefits to cropping systems including erosion control, weed suppression, and increased soil organic matter. Regardless of the intended goal for using cover crops, the changes to the nutrient flux in a cropping system caused by cover crops retaining and recycling nutrients needs to be considered in order to maximize the productivity of the following commodity crops. This research encompassed complementary greenhouse, field, and laboratory experiments to evaluate nutrient uptake and release by tillage radish (Raphanus sativus) and cereal rye (Secale cereale) cover crops, as well as the subsequent early-season recovery of recycled nutrients by the following corn (Zea mays) crop. When grown under controlled greenhouse conditions, tillage radish and cereal rye cover crops recovered, at most, 38% of the applied fertilizer N, and most of the captured N was translocated and stored in the shoots, which produced greater biomass than the roots. Cereal rye generally recovered more N, P, K, and Zn than tillage radish due to greater biomass accumulation; however, by the V6 growth stage corn following tillage radish usually produced more dry matter and contained more N, P, K, and Zn than corn planted into cereal rye residue. Early season corn growth and nutrient uptake following cereal rye was often lower than that of corn planted into no cover crop. The fertilizer N recovery efficiency of cover crops grown in the field study was, at most, 60%, and the application of fertilizer N did not always increase corn nutrient uptake. Results from the laboratory incubation study revealed that tillage radish released available N earlier in the growing season than cereal rye residue. By the end of the incubation 43% of the total N (TN) contained in the residues was recovered as NO3-N. Incorporating cover crop residues increased the rate at which NO3-N accumulated during the later stage of the incubation trial (42 to 179 days). Based on results from this study, tillage radish cover crops provide a more optimum timing of nutrient release in alignment with early-season corn nutrient demand than cereal rye.

Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )
Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )

Author: Andy Clark

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2008-07

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 1437903797

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Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.

Non-Chemical Weed Control
Non-Chemical Weed Control

Author: Khawar Jabran

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2018-01-03

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 0128098821

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Non-Chemical Weed Control is the first book to present an overview of plant crop protection against non-food plants using non-chemical means. Plants growing wild—particularly unwanted plants found in cultivated ground to the exclusion of the desired crop—have been treated with herbicides and chemical treatments in the past. As concern over environmental, food and consumer safety increases, research has turned to alternatives, including the use of cover crops, thermal treatments and biotechnology to reduce and eliminate unwanted plants. This book provides insight into existing and emerging alternative crop protection methods and includes lessons learned from past methodologies. As crop production resources decline while consumer concerns over safety increase, the effective control of weeds is imperative to insure the maximum possible levels of soil, sunlight and nutrients reach the crop plants. - Allows reader to identify the most appropriate solution based on their individual use or case - Provides researchers, students and growers with current concepts regarding the use of modern, environment-friendly weed control techniques - Presents methods of weed management—an important part of integrated weed management in the future - Exploits the knowledge gained from past sustainable weed management efforts

Building Soils for Better Crops
Building Soils for Better Crops

Author: Fred Magdoff

Publisher: Sare

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9781888626131

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"'Published by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, with funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture."

Sustainable Market Farming
Sustainable Market Farming

Author: Pam Dawling

Publisher: New Society Publishers

Published: 2013-02-01

Total Pages: 459

ISBN-13: 1550925121

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Growing for 100 - the complete year-round guide for the small-scale market grower. Across North America, an agricultural renaissance is unfolding. A growing number of market gardeners are emerging to feed our appetite for organic, regional produce. But most of the available resources on food production are aimed at the backyard or hobby gardener who wants to supplement their family's diet with a few homegrown fruits and vegetables. Targeted at serious growers in every climate zone, Sustainable Market Farming is a comprehensive manual for small-scale farmers raising organic crops sustainably on a few acres. Informed by the author's extensive experience growing a wide variety of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to feed the approximately one hundred members of Twin Oaks Community in central Virginia, this practical guide provides: Detailed profiles of a full range of crops, addressing sowing, cultivation, rotation, succession, common pests and diseases, and harvest and storage Information about new, efficient techniques, season extension, and disease resistant varieties Farm-specific business skills to help ensure a successful, profitable enterprise Whether you are a beginning market grower or an established enterprise seeking to improve your skills, Sustainable Market Farming is an invaluable resource and a timely book for the maturing local agriculture movement.

Principles of Soil Conservation and Management
Principles of Soil Conservation and Management

Author: Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-09-16

Total Pages: 617

ISBN-13: 1402087098

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“Principles of Soil Management and Conservation” comprehensively reviews the state-of-knowledge on soil erosion and management. It discusses in detail soil conservation topics in relation to soil productivity, environment quality, and agronomic production. It addresses the implications of soil erosion with emphasis on global hotspots and synthesizes available from developed and developing countries. It also critically reviews information on no-till management, organic farming, crop residue management for industrial uses, conservation buffers (e.g., grass buffers, agroforestry systems), and the problem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and in other regions. This book uniquely addresses the global issues including carbon sequestration, net emissions of CO2, and erosion as a sink or source of C under different scenarios of soil management. It also deliberates the implications of the projected global warming on soil erosion and vice versa. The concern about global food security in relation to soil erosion and strategies for confronting the remaining problems in soil management and conservation are specifically addressed. This volume is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students interested in understanding the principles of soil conservation and management. The book is also useful for practitioners, extension agents, soil conservationists, and policymakers as an important reference material.

Sustainable Soil Management
Sustainable Soil Management

Author: Deirdre Rooney

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2013-03-22

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1926895215

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Changing land-use practices and the role of soil biological diversity has been a major focus of soil science research over the past couple of decades—a trend that is likely to continue. The information presented in this book points to a holistic approach to soil management. The first part looks at the land use effects on soil carbon storage, and considers a range of factors including carbon sequestration in soils. The second part of the book presents research investigating the interactions between soil properties, plant species, and the soil biota.

The Use of Nutrients in Crop Plants
The Use of Nutrients in Crop Plants

Author: Nand Kumar Fageria

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2016-04-19

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 142007511X

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Put Theory into Practice Scarcity of natural resources, higher costs, higher demand, and concerns about environmental pollution- under these circumstances, improving food supply worldwide with adequate quantity and quality is fundamental. Based on the author's more than forty years of experience, The Use of Nutrients in Crop Plants

Crops Residue Management
Crops Residue Management

Author: J. L. Hatfield

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2018-01-18

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 1351079697

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Recent changes in the Conservation Compliance Plans for farmers shows the need for improved information on the effective management of crop residues. Residue management requires an understanding of the crop, soil, and climate in which the farming system is located. In this volume, the strategies for effective residue management are described for each region of the country to provide a comparison of the regional differences. The chapters not only describe the knowledge in each region but also suggest some of the needed areas of research required to develop an improved understanding of the processes involved in effective residue management.