Selecting seeding rates for diverse summer annual forage crop mixtures

Selecting seeding rates for diverse summer annual forage crop mixtures

Summary

The One way to make agriculture in the Northeast more sustainable is to change the context of annual forage crop mixtures from emergency to everyday. Often planted as a result of bad weather, diverse annual forage crop mixtures are more productive than monocultures, use resources more efficiently, and reduce the risk of a subsequent crop failure. In order to further adoption, seeding rate recommendations must be provided. Seeding rates are based on species, climate, and management practice. Sow too many seeds in a field you have created a competitive environment, limiting the potential of the plants. Sow too few, than you have
wasted the potential of the land. Complications arise when planting multiple species at the same time, as is done when seeding summer annual forage crop mixtures. This research examines the biomass production of four annual forage species (two grasses and two legumes) when they are seeded at various rates in monoculture, biculture, and polyculture. The experiment will be planted at two field sites in New York for two years to determine the effect of environment on annual forage crop mixtures and optimal seeding rates. The biomass and plant density of the plots will be modelled to better understand intra- and interspecific competition in these mixtures and mixtures of other species. Besides yield, other factors like seed cost and potential milk
production will also be examined. The goal is to provide optimal seeding rates for mixtures that maximize the land’s productivity, the plants’ forage quality, and the farmer’s profitability.

Work for this grant will begin in Spring 2015.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Our project has four objectives:
1. Quantify the effects of functional diversity of crop mixtures on productivity and weed suppression.
2. Model the intraspecific and interspecific competition of the different species in each mixture based on their biomass-density relationship.
3. Determine the effect of environment on annual forage crop mixtures and optimal seeding rates.
4. Perform an economic analysis of the suggested practice and examine the potential for widespread adoption.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Work for this grant will begin in Spring 2015.

Collaborators: