Comparative Rotational/Cover Cropping for Weed Suppression

Mr. Gil experimented with three cover crop mixtures and sequences to see how effective they were for weed suppression. These were 1) spring wheat, plowed down after first frost-free date and followed by Japanese millet and alfalfa, 2) rape, buckwheat, Dutch white clover, sorghum/sudangrass, and soya, and 3) oats, field peas, and hairy vetch. Each trial was planted on 1/3 acre.

He found that the alfalfa in trial #1 was smothered by the millet which, having gone to seed, proved a pest in subsequent years. Trial #3 was generally successful, though the vetch came up late, and therefore poorly, as it was crowded by the oats and peas. Trial #2 appeared the most successful.