Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T07:30:46.876Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Clover green manure productivity and weed suppression in an organic grain rotation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2016

Katja Koehler-Cole ,
James R. Brandle ,
Charles A. Francis ,
Charles A. Shapiro ,
Erin E. Blankenship  and
P. Stephen Baenziger
Katja Koehler-Cole*
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583, USA.
James R. Brandle
Affiliation:
School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583, USA.
Charles A. Francis
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583, USA.
Charles A. Shapiro
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583, USA.
Erin E. Blankenship
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583, USA.
P. Stephen Baenziger
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Green manure crops must produce high biomass to supply biological N, increase organic matter and control weeds. The objectives of our study were to assess above-ground biomass productivity and weed suppression of clover (Trifolium spp.) green manures in an organic soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-corn (Zea mays L.) rotation in eastern Nebraska in three cycles (2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14). Treatments were green manure species [red clover (T. pratense L.) and white clover (T. repens L.)] undersown into winter wheat in March and green manure mowing regime (one late summer mowing or no mowing). We measured wheat productivity and grain protein at wheat harvest, and clover and weed above-ground biomass as dry matter (DM) at wheat harvest, 35 days after wheat harvest, in October and in April before clover termination. Winter wheat grain yields and grain protein were not affected by undersown clovers. DM was higher for red than for white clover at most sampling times. Red clover produced between 0.4 and 5.5 Mg ha−1 in the fall and 0.4–5.2 Mg ha−1 in the spring. White clover produced between 0.1 and 2.5 Mg ha−1 in the fall and 0.2–3.1 Mg ha−1 in the spring. Weed DM was lower under red clover than under white clover at most sampling times. In the spring, weed DM ranged from 0.0 to 0.6 Mg ha−1 under red clover and from 0.0 to 3.1 Mg ha−1 under white clover. Mowing did not consistently affect clover or weed DM. For organic growers in eastern Nebraska, red clover undersown into winter wheat can be a productive green manure with good weed suppression potential.

Keywords

red cloverwhite clovergreen manuresundersowingorganic agriculture
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 32 , Issue 5 , October 2017 , pp. 474 - 483
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agriculture and Forestry Alberta. 2000. Soil temperature for germination. Available at Web site http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex1203.Google Scholar
Amossé, C., Jeuffroy, M.H., and David, C. 2013. Relay intercropping of legume cover crops in organic winter wheat: Effects on performance and resource availability. Field Crops Research 145:78–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amossé, C., Jeuffroy, M.H., Mary, B., and David, C. 2014. Contribution of relay intercropping with legume cover crops on nitrogen dynamics in organic grain systems. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 98:1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, R.L. 2015. Suppressing weed growth after wheat harvest with underseeded red clover in organic farming. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 31:185–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Badaruddin, M. and Meyer, D.W. 1989. Water use by legumes and its effect on soil water status. Crop Science 29:2012–2016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergkvist, G. 2003. Perennial clovers and ryegrass as understory crops in cereals. PhD dissertation, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.Google Scholar
Black, A.D., Laidlaw, A.S., Moot, D.J., and O'Kiely, P. 2009. Comparative growth and management of white and red clovers. Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research 48:149–166.Google Scholar
Blackshaw, R.E., Molnar, L.J., and Moyer, J.R. 2010. Suitability of legume cover crop-winter wheat intercrops on the semi-arid Canadian prairies. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 90:479–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaser, B.C., Gibson, L.R., Singer, J.W., and Jannink, J.L. 2006. Optimizing seeding rates for winter cereal grains and frost-seeded red clover intercrops. Agronomy Journal 98:1041–1049.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaser, B.C., Singer, J.W., and Gibson, L.R. 2011. Winter cereal canopy effect on cereal and interseeded legume productivity. Agronomy Journal 103:1180–1185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brakke, M.K. 1987. Virus diseases of wheat. Wheat and Wheat Improvement 13:585–624.Google Scholar
Brust, J., Claupein, W., and Gerhards, R. 2014. Growth and weed suppression ability of common and new cover crops in Germany. Crop Protection 63:1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlsson, G. and Huss-Danell, K. 2003. Nitrogen fixation in perennial forage legumes in the field. Plant and Soil 253:353–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, P.M., Mäder, P., Creamer, N.G., and Beeby, J.S. 2012. Editorial: Overview and comparison of conservation tillage practices and organic farming in Europe and North America. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 27:2–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cherr, C.M., Scholberg, J.M.S., and McSorley, R. 2006. Green manure approaches to crop production. Agronomy Journal 98:302–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cicek, H., Entz, M.H., Thiessen Martens, J.R., and Bullock, P.R. 2014. Productivity and nitrogen benefits of late-season legume cover crops in organic wheat production. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 94:771–783.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Den Hollander, N.G., Bastiaans, L., and Kropff, M.J. 2007. Clover as a cover crop for weed suppression in an intercropping design: II. Competitive ability of several clover species. European Journal of Agronomy 26:104–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drangmeister, H. 2003. Tipps für einen erfolgreichen Kleegrasanbau im Ӧko-Landbau. In German. Bundesministerium für Verbraucherschutz, Ernährung und Landwirtschaft.Google Scholar
Drinkwater, L.E., Letourneau, D.K., Workneh, F., Van Bruggen, A.H.C., and Shennan, C. 1995. Fundamental differences between conventional and organic tomato agroecosystems in California. Ecological Applications 5:1098–1112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gentry, L.E., Snapp, S.S., Price, R.F., and Gentry, L.F. 2013. Apparent red clover nitrogen credit to corn: Evaluating cover crop introduction. Agronomy Journal 105:1658–1664.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartwig, N.L. and Ammon, H.U. 2002. Cover crops and living mulches. Weed Science 50:688–699.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mallory, E.B. and Darby, H. 2013. In-season nitrogen effects on organic hard red winter wheat yield and quality. Agronomy Journal 105:1167–1175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, P.R., Lighthiser, E.J., Jones, C.A., Holmes, J.A., Rick, T.L., and Wraith, J.M. 2011. Pea green manure management affects organic winter wheat yield and quality in semiarid Montana. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 91:497–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mutch, D.R., Martin, T.E., and Kosola, K.R. 2003. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) suppression of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum). Weed Technology 17:181–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parr, M., Grossman, J.M., Reberg-Horton, S.C., Brinton, C., and Crozier, C. 2011. Nitrogen delivery from legume cover crops in no-till organic corn production. Agronomy Journal 103:1578–1590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peoples, M.B. and Baldock, J.A. 2001. Nitrogen dynamics of pastures: Nitrogen fixation inputs, the impact of legumes on soil nitrogen fertility, and the contributions of fixed nitrogen to Australian farming systems. Animal Production Science 41:327–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peoples, M.B., Brockwell, J., Herridge, D.F., Rochester, I.J., Alves, B.J.R., Urquiaga, S., Boddey, R.M., Dakora, F.D., Bhattarai, S., Maskey, S.L., and Sampet, C. 2009. The contributions of nitrogen-fixing crop legumes to the productivity of agricultural systems. Symbiosis 48:1–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pimentel, D., Hepperly, P., Hanson, J., Douds, D., and Seidel, R. 2005. Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. BioScience 55:573–582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, C. and Nielsen, D. 2015. The water conundrum of planting cover crops in the Great Plains: When is an inch not an inch? Crops Soils 48:24–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, S.M., King, J.R., Izaurralde, R.C., and O'Donovan, J.T. 2001. Weed suppression by seven clover species. Agronomy Journal 93:820–827.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SAS Institute. 2014. User's Guide: Statistics. SAS Inst., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Schipanski, M.E. and Drinkwater, L.E. 2011. Nitrogen fixation of red clover interseeded with winter cereals across a management-induced fertility gradient. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 90:105–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snapp, S.S., Swinton, S.M., Labarta, R., Mutch, D., Black, J.R., Leep, R., and O'Neil, K. 2005. Evaluating cover crops for benefits, costs and performance within cropping system niches. Agronomy Journal 97:322–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stute, J.K. and Posner, J.L. 1993. Legume cover crop options for grain rotations in Wisconsin. Agronomy Journal 85:1128–1132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triplett, G.B. Jr and Dick, W.A. 2008. No-tillage crop production: A revolution in agriculture! Agronomy Journal 100:S-153–S-165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wortman, S.E., Francis, C.A., Galusha, T.D., Hoagland, C., Van Wart, J., Baenziger, P.S., Hoegemeyer, T., and Johnson, M. 2013. Evaluating cultivars for organic farming: Maize, soybean, and wheat genotype by system interactions in Eastern Nebraska. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems 37:915–932.CrossRefGoogle Scholar