Trial Report Summary

Oat Cover Crop

Crop Type(s):
Oats
Centre(s):
PCDF
Year(s):
2018-2019
Collaborators(s):

Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation

Objective(s):

To demonstrate the use of cover cropping strategies

Project Findings:

The success of the oat establishment varied according to cover crop.  Establishment (reflected in yield) with clovers was on par with the PCDF site average, but lower for fall rye and Italian ryegrass.  This is due to allelopathic compounds produced by fall rye and Italian ryegrass, making the crops very competitive with other plants.  There was no lodging in the oats and harvest was very smooth.

Background:

Cover cropping as a part soil management is of growing interest to many Manitoba farmers.  Cover crops perform a number of significant functions for the soil, including but not limited to: controlling soil erosion after harvest of the cash crop; sequestering and increasing soil nutrients; and, improving water infiltration.  Seeding a cover crop with the cash crop can reduce fieldwork in Year 2, allowing the cover crop to be used as a source of fertility (i.e. green manure), forage crop or cash crop.

PDF:

Entire findings are available by downloading the report PDF.

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