The Role of Cover Crop Species and Residue Management on Forage Quality, Subsequent Crop Biomass, and Soil Microorganisms

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Commodities

• Agronomic: corn, peas (field, cowpeas), rye

Practices

• Animal Production: feed/forage, winter forage
• Crop Production: cover crops, double cropping, no-till
• Production Systems: agroecosystems
• Soil Management: soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil quality/health

Cover cropping is an agricultural practice that benefits soil chemical, physical, and biological properties. Cover crops have the added potential to be harvested as high-quality livestock forage. Crops, such as Cereal Rye and Australian Winter Pea are commonly utilized for forage in Midwestern states and can be used to displace corn and other grains imported to balance rations. The loss of cover crop residue when fed as forage, while economically beneficial for farmers, could potentially have effects on silage corn yield, soil microbial biomass and community structure, and soil health in general. The objective of this research is to evaluate cereal rye and winter pea for forage quality at two different growth stages, while also evaluating the effects of residue management on subsequent crop growth and soil chemical and biological properties. A split plot design with 4 replications will be conducted with main plot as 3 cover crop treatments and subplot as three residue management treatments. The three species treatments are monocultures of cereal rye, winter pea, and no cover crop. The three residue management treatments are cover crop harvested at boot stage, cover crop harvested at anthesis, and residue terminated and retained in the field. The result of this research will provide new knowledge on the best time to harvest cover crop for forage based on nutritional factors and the impact of retaining residue in their fields compared to the removal of residue at two different growth stages on silage corn yields and soil bacterial biomass and community structure. 

1. Evaluate the performance of different cover crop species and residue management on ground cover, cover crop biomass, weed suppression, and link these impacts on the subsequent crop biomass.
2. Evaluate different cover crop species for dairy forage quality for two different growth stages, boot stage and anthesis.
3. Investigate the impact of cover crop species and residue  management on soil chemical properties and soil microbial diversity, community composition, and abundance, and link these impacts on nutrient cycling, nutrient uptake by corn, and corn silage yield.