Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: soybeans
Practices
- Crop Production: cover crops
- Education and Training: extension
Proposal abstract:
Combating challenges that threaten crop production across variable growing conditions is vital to mitigating the impacts of abiotic constraints on food production, profitability, and stewardship of natural resources. Of particular concern is heavy and frequent rainfall in the North Central Region. Heavy rainfall after planting, especially followed by dry weather, can cause the soil to form a surface crust, resulting in a hard, compact, and brittle surface soil. Farmers face seedling death and loss of productivity. The long-term goal of this project is to promote the successful adoption of a cover crop prior to soybean planting to improve system resilience to intense rainfall and soil crusting. Objectives include: 1) examine the use of a cover crop to physically protect the soil surface and reduce soil crusting after heavy rainfall events, improving soybean emergence, survival, and ultimately yield, and 2) develop research-based interactive learning modules to empower farmers to make decisions regarding implementation of cover crops on their farm. Outcomes are expected to lead to the development of economically-sustainable strategies that promote stewardship of natural resources.
Project objectives from proposal:
Objectives of this project are to: 1) examine the use of a cover crop to physically protect the soil surface and reduce soil crusting after heavy rainfall events, improving soybean emergence, survival, and ultimately yield, and 2) develop research-based interactive learning modules to empower farmers to make decisions regarding implementation of cover crops on their farm.