Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T19:24:37.687Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Forage potential of six leguminous green manures and effect of grazing on following grain crops

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2014

Harun Cicek ,
Joanne R. Thiessen Martens ,
Keith C. Bamford  and
Martin H. Entz
Harun Cicek
Affiliation:
International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), PO Box 950764, Amman, Jordan.
Joanne R. Thiessen Martens
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada.
Keith C. Bamford
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada.
Martin H. Entz
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

There is a need to design intensive cropping systems that can reap multiple benefits from annual forages including animal feed, soil fertility and weed control. Considering pea/oat (Pisum sativum cv. 40–10/Avena sativa cv. Legget) as a standard green manure, this study investigated the productivity, weed competitiveness, utilization and nitrogen (N) benefit from grazed and ungrazed green manures to spring wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Waskada) and fall rye (Secale cereale cv. Hazlet). A set of 3-year experiments was carried out in Carman, Manitoba, Canada in 2009, and was repeated in 2010 and 2011. Green manures were grazed by 2–3 ewes and 2–5 lambs for 24 h (1111–1667 sheep days per ha). Averaged over experiments pea/oat mix, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.) and sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis cv. Norgold) above-ground dry matter (DM) production were 5036, 5032 and 4064 kg ha−1, respectively. Lentil (Lens culinaris cv. Indianhead), a mixture of seven species and soybean (Glycine max cv. Prudence) produced the least amount of DM over 3 years; 3589, 3551, 3174 kg ha−1, respectively. Pea/oat and hairy vetch were the most weed-competitive species and, averaged over 3 years, contained less than 15% weed DM. Utilization of green manures by grazing animals varied little among species across years and ranged from 28 to 86% for individual species and years. When combined across experiments grazing increased N availability to the wheat crop. The grazing effect was significant for wheat DM production, N uptake and grain N, but not significant for yield across experiments. Averaged over 3 years, wheat took up 107 kg N ha−1 from grazed plots versus 98 kg N ha−1 from ungrazed plots. A significant species×management interaction for total (wheat+fall rye) N uptake in 2009 indicated that increasing the proportion of legumes in the green manure increased N benefit from grazing. Fall rye productivity was not affected by grazing. We recommend pea/oat and hairy vetch as two green manure species to enhance the overall system performance to achieve high level of DM production, good weed competition, utilization by sheep and provision of N benefit to the following wheat and fall rye crops.

Keywords

annual foragesgreen manuresgrazingorganic agriculturecrop-livestock integration
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 2015 , pp. 503 - 514
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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

1 Entz, M., Baron, V., Carr, P., Meyer, D., Smith, S., and McCaughey, W. 2002. Potential of forages to diversify cropping systems in the northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 94:240–250.Google Scholar
2 Entz, M., Bullied, W., and Katepa Mupondwa, F. 1995. Rotational benefits of forage crops in Canadian prairie cropping systems. Journal of Production Agriculture 8:521–529.Google Scholar
3 Davis, A.S., Hill, J.D., Chase, C.A., Johanns, A.M., and Liebman, M. 2012. Increasing cropping system diversity balances productivity, profitability and environmental health. PLoS ONE 7:e47149.Google Scholar
4 Sims, J. and Slinkard, A. 1991. Development and Evaluation of Germplasm and Cultivars of Cover Crops. Soil & Water Conservation Society, Ankeny.Google Scholar
5 McCartney, D., Fraser, J., and Ohama, A. 2008. Annual cool season crops for grazing by beef cattle. A Canadian Review. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 88:517–533.Google Scholar
6 Entz, M., Guilford, R., and Gulden, R. 2001. Crop yield and soil nutrient status on 14 organic farms in the eastern portion of the northern Great Plains. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 81:351–354.Google Scholar
7 Tonitto, C., David, M.B., and Drinkwater, L.E. 2006. Replacing bare fallows with cover crops in fertilizer-intensive cropping systems: A meta-analysis of crop yield and N dynamics. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 112:58–72.Google Scholar
8 Peoples, M.B., Bowman, A.M., Gault, R.R., Herridge, D.F., McCallum, M.H., McCormick, K.M., Norton, R.M., Rochester, I.J., Scammell, G.J., and Schwenke, G.D. 2001. Factors regulating the contributions of fixed nitrogen by pasture and crop legumes to different farming systems of eastern Australia. Plant Soil 228:29–41.Google Scholar
9 McCartney, D. and Fraser, J. 2010. The potential role of annual forage legumes in Canada: A review. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 90:403–420.Google Scholar
10 Crews, T. and Peoples, M. 2005. Can the synchrony of nitrogen supply and crop demand be improved in legume and fertilizer-based agroecosystems? A review. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 72:101–120.Google Scholar
11 Mohr, R.M., Janzen, H.H., Bremer, E., and Entz, M.H. 1998. Fate of symbiotically-fixed N-15(2) as influenced by method of alfalfa termination. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 30:1359–1367.Google Scholar
12 Mohr, R.M., Janzen, H.H., and Entz, M.H. 1998. Nitrogen dynamics under growth chamber conditions as influenced by method of alfalfa termination 2. Plant-available N release. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 78:261–266.Google Scholar
13 Shrestha, A., Hesterman, O., Copeland, L., Squire, J., Fisk, J., and Sheaffer, C. 1999. Annual legumes as green manure and forage crops in winter canola (Brassica napus L.) rotations. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 79:19–25.Google Scholar
14 Vaisman, I., Entz, M.H., Flaten, D.N., and Gulden, R.H. 2011. Blade roller–green manure interactions on nitrogen dynamics, weeds, and organic wheat. Agronomy Journal 103:879–889.Google Scholar
15 Russelle, M. 1992. Nitrogen cycling in pasture and range. Journal of Production Agriculture 5:13–23.Google Scholar
16 Gardner, J.C. and Faulkner, D.B. 1991. Use of cover crops with integrated crop-livestock production systems. Integrated Crop Livestock Systems. Available at Web site http://www.swcs.org/documents/filelibrary/CCCW11.pdf (verified 23 October 2013) Google Scholar
17 Thiessen Martens, J.R. and Entz, M.H. 2011. Integrating green manure and grazing systems: A review. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 91:811–824.Google Scholar
18 Wilkins, R.J. 2008. Eco-efficient approaches to land management: A case for increased integration of crop and animal production systems. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 363:517–525.Google Scholar
19 Schoofs, A. and Entz, M. 2000. Influence of annual forages on weed dynamics in a cropping system. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 80:187–198.Google Scholar
20 Moyer, J. and Hironaka, R. 1993. Digestible energy and protein content of some annual weeds, alfalfa, bromegrass, and tame oats. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 73:1305–1308.Google Scholar
21 Begna, S.H., Fielding, D.J., Tsegaye, T., Van Veldhuizen, R., Angadi, S., and Smith, D.L. 2011. Intercropping of oat and field pea in Alaska: An alternative approach to quality forage production and weed control. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B-Soil and Plant Science 61:235–244.Google Scholar
22 Carr, P., Horsley, R., and Poland, W. 2004. Barley, oat, and cereal–pea mixtures as dryland forages in the Northern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal 96:677–684.Google Scholar
23 Cicek, H., Thiessen-Martens, J.R., Bamford, K., and Entz, M.H. 2014. Effects of grazing two green manure crop types in organic farming systems: N supply and productivity of following grain crops. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 190:27–36.Google Scholar
24 Kyvsgaard, P., Sorensen, P., Moller, E., and Magid, J. 2000. Nitrogen mineralization from sheep faeces can be predicted from the apparent digestibility of the feed. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 57:207–214.Google Scholar
25 McCartney, D., Basarab, J., Okine, E., Baron, V., and Depalme, A. 2004. Alternative fall and winter feeding systems for spring calving beef cows. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 84:511–522.Google Scholar
26 Tanaka, D.L., Karn, J.F., Liebig, M.A., Kronberg, S.L., and Hanson, J.D. 2005. An integrated approach to crop/livestock systems: Forage and grain production for swath grazing. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 20:223–231.Google Scholar
27 McCartney, D., Fraser, J., and Ohama, A. 2009. Potential of warm-season annual forages and Brassica crops for grazing: A Canadian Review. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 89:431–440.Google Scholar
28 Van Diepeningen, A.D., De Vos, O.J., Korthals, G.W., and Van Bruggen, A.H.C. 2006. Effects of organic versus conventional management on chemical and biological parameters in agricultural soils. Applied Soil Ecology 31:120–135.Google Scholar
29 Ryan, M.R., Smith, R.G., Mirsky, S.B., Mortensen, D.A., and Seidel, R. 2010. Management filters and species traits: Weed community assembly in long-term organic and conventional systems. Weed Science 58:265–277.Google Scholar
30 MASC 2013. Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation. Available at Website http://www.masc.mb.ca/masc.nsf/index.html?OpenPage (verified February 10, 2013).Google Scholar
31 Soi1 Classification Working Group. 1998. The Canadian System of Soil Classification. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Publication, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 1646 (Revised). 187 pp.Google Scholar
32 Sweeney, R. 1989. Generic combustion method for determination of crude protein in feeds – collaborative study. Journal of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists 72:770–774.Google Scholar
33 SAS Institute, Inc. 1985. SAS Procedures Guide for Personal Computers. Version 12. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
34 Hauggaard-Nielsen, H., Ambus, P., and Jensen, E. 2001. Interspecific competition, N use and interference with weeds in pea–barley intercropping. Field Crops Research 70:101–109.Google Scholar
35 Carr, P., Martin, G., Caton, J., and Poland, W. 1998. Forage and nitrogen yield of barley–pea and oat–pea intercrops. Agronomy Journal 90:79–84.Google Scholar
36 Teasdale, J., Devine, T., Mosjidis, J., Bellinder, R., and Beste, C. 2004. Growth and development of hairy vetch cultivars in the northeastern United States as influenced by planting and harvesting date. Agronomy Journal 96:1266–1271.Google Scholar
37 Mischler, R., Duiker, S.W., Curran, W.S., and Wilson, D. 2010. Hairy vetch management for no-till organic corn production. Agronomy Journal 102:355–362.Google Scholar
38 Halde, C., Gulden, R.H., Hammermeister, A.M., Ominski, K.H., Tenuta, M., and Entz, M.H. 2012. Using mulches to reduce tillage in organic grain production in Western Canada. In Proceedings of the ‘Canadian Organic Science conference’, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, February 21–23, 2012.Google Scholar
39 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.Google Scholar
40 Fraser, J., McCartney, D., Najda, H., and Mir, Z. 2004. Yield potential and forage quality of annual forage legumes in southern Alberta and northeast Saskatchewan. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 84:143–155.Google Scholar
41 Blackshaw, R.E., Moyer, J.R., Doram, R.C., Boswall, A.L., and Smith, E.G. 2001. Suitability of undersown sweetclover as a fallow replacement in semiarid cropping systems. Agronomy Journal 93:863–868.Google Scholar
42 Moyer, J.R., Blackshaw, R.E., and Huang, H.C. 2007. Effect of sweetclover cultivars and management practices on following weed infestations and wheat yield. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 87:973–983.Google Scholar
43 Smith, R.G., Mortensen, D.A., and Ryan, M.R. 2010. A new hypothesis for the functional role of diversity in mediating resource pools and weed-crop competition in agroecosystems. Weed Research 50:37–48.Google Scholar
44 Sedivec, K.K., Fraase, A.R., Neville, B.W., Whitted, D.L., Nyren, P.E., and Lardy, G.P. 2012. Utilizing annual forages in single and dual cropping systems for late-fall and early winter grazing. Available at Web site http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/centralgrasslandsrec/cgrec-annual-reports-1/2011-report/2011%20-%20Sedivec%20long%20report%20with%20edits%20v2.pdf (verified February 11, 2013)Google Scholar
45 Fraase, A.R. 2012. Utilizing annual forages in a single and dual crop system for late-season grazing. MS thesis, North Dakota State University, Fargo. 84 pp.Google Scholar
46 Fernandez, A.L., Sheaffer, C.C., Wyse, D.L., and Michaels, T.E. 2012. Yield and weed abundance in early- and late-sown field pea and lentil. Agronomy Journal 104:1056–1064.Google Scholar
47 Finn, J.A., Kirwan, L., Connolly, J., Teresa Sebastia, M., Helgadottir, A., Baadshaug, O.H., Belanger, G., Black, A., Brophy, C., Collins, R.P., Cop, J., Dalmannsdottir, S., Delgado, I., Elgersma, A., Fothergill, M., Frankow-Lindberg, B.E., Ghesquiere, A., Golinska, B., Golinski, P., Grieu, P., Gustavsson, A., Hoglind, M., Huguenin-Elie, O., Jorgensen, M., Kadziuliene, Z., Kurki, P., Llurba, R., Lunnan, T., Porqueddu, C., Suter, M., Thumm, U., and Luescher, A., 2013. Ecosystem function enhanced by combining four functional types of plant species in intensively managed grassland mixtures: A 3-year continental-scale field experiment. Journal of Applied Ecology 50:365–375.Google Scholar
48 Leavitt, M.J., Sheaffer, C.C., Wyse, D.L., and Allan, D.L. 2011. Rolled winter rye and hairy vetch cover crops lower weed density but reduce vegetable yields in no-tillage organic production. Hortscience 46:387–395.Google Scholar
49 Zotarelli, L., Avila, L., Scholberg, J.M.S., and Alves, B.J.R. 2009. Benefits of vetch and rye cover crops to sweet corn under no-tillage. Agronomy Journal 101:252–260.Google Scholar
50 Teasdale, J. and Daughtry, C. 1993. Weed suppression by live and desiccated hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). Weed Science 41:207–212.Google Scholar
51 Blackshaw, R., Moyer, J., Doram, R., and Boswell, A. 2001. Yellow sweetclover, green manure, and its residues effectively suppress weeds during fallow. Weed Science 49:406–413.Google Scholar
52 McDonald, G.K., Hollaway, K.L., and McMurray, L. 2007. Increasing plant density improves weed competition in lentil (Lens culinaris). Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47:48–56.Google Scholar
53 Badaruddin, M. and Meyer, D.W. 2001. Factors modifying frost tolerance of legume species. Crop Science 41:1911–1916.Google Scholar
54 Sheaffer, C., Orf, J., Devine, T., and Jewett, J. 2001. Yield and quality of forage soybean. Agronomy Journal 93:99–106.Google Scholar
55 Kaneko, M., Uozumi, S., Touno, E., and Deguchi, S. 2011. No-till, no-herbicide forage soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) cropping system with an Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) living mulch. Grassland Science 57:28–34.Google Scholar
56 Biederbeck, V.O., Bouman, O.T., Looman, J., Slinkard, A.E., Bailey, L.D., Rice, W.A., and Janzen, H.H. 1993. Productivity of four annual legumes as green manure in dryland cropping systems. Agronomy Journal 85:1035–1043.Google Scholar
57 Bullied, W., Entz, M., Smith, S., and Bamford, K. 2002. Grain yield and N benefits to sequential wheat and barley crops from single-year alfalfa, berseem and red clover, chickling vetch and lentil. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 82:53–65.Google Scholar
58 Baird, J.M., Shirtliffe, S.J., and Walley, F.L. 2009. Optimal seeding rate for organic production of lentil in the northern Great Plains. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 89:1089–1097.Google Scholar
59 Sheaffer, C., Marten, G., Jordan, R., and Ristau, E. 1992. Sheep performance during grazing of annual forages in a double cropping system. Journal of Production Agriculture 5:33–37.Google Scholar
60 Marten, G. and Andersen, R. 1975. Forage nutritive-value and palatability of 12 common annual weeds. Crop Science 15:821–827.Google Scholar
61 Marten, G., Sheaffer, C., and Wyse, D. 1987. Forage nutritive-value and palatability of perennial weeds. Agronomy Journal 79:980–986.Google Scholar
62 Lenssen, A.W., Sainju, U.M., and Hatfield, P.G. 2013. Integrating sheep grazing into wheat–fallow systems: Crop yield and soil properties. Field Crops Research 146:75–85.Google Scholar
63 Janzen, H., Bole, J., Biederbeck, V., and Slinkard, A. 1990. Fate of N applied as green manure or ammonium fertilizer to soil subsequently cropped with spring wheat at 3 sites in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 70:313–323.Google Scholar
64 Bosshard, C., Sorensen, P., Frossard, E., Dubois, D., Maeder, P., Nanzer, S., and Oberson, A. 2009. Nitrogen use efficiency of N-15-labelled sheep manure and mineral fertiliser applied to microplots in long-term organic and conventional cropping systems. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 83:271–287.Google Scholar
65 Peoples, M.B., Herridge, D.F., and Ladha, J.K. 1995. Biological nitrogen fixation: An efficient source of nitrogen for sustainable agricultural production? Plant Soil 174:3–28.Google Scholar
66 Lafond, J. and Pageau, D. 2007. Nitrogen and non nitrogen benefit of legumes to a subsequent spring barley crop. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 87:445–454.Google Scholar
67 Maughan, M.W., Flores, J.P.C., Anghinoni, I., Bollero, G., Fernandez, F.G., and Tracy, B.F. 2009. Soil quality and corn yield under crop–livestock integration in Illinois. Agronomy Journal 101:1503–1510.Google Scholar
68 Franzluebbers, A.J. and Stuedemann, J.A. 2007. Crop and cattle responses to tillage systems for integrated crop–livestock production in the Southern Piedmont, USA. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 22:168–180.Google Scholar