Using Cover Crops to Promote Soil Health

Managing for Soil Health…4 Keys

• Manage more by disturbing less

• Diversify with crop diversity

• Grow living roots throughout the year

• Keep the soil covered as much as possible with plant residue

NRCS Soil Health Initiative

• Objectives

– Increased awareness, both internal and external

– Provide technical and financial assistance to producers wanting to improve soil health.

– Increase adoption and implementation of soil health management systems

Soil Health Management System - Crop

• The Key conservation practices are: Conservation Cropping Rotation

No-till or Strip-till

Cover Crops

Nutrient Management

Integrated Pest Management

Conservation Buffers/Filter Strip

Soil Health Management System – Pasture

• Key Practice – Prescribed Grazing Management of top growth impacts growth below ground

• Reduced root growth diminishes… – the contribution of the root system to

soil organic matter – plant health & above ground biomass

production – nutrient uptake and cycling – the soil biological community – Hydrologic cycle

Oklahoma Soil Health and Diversity

Cover Crop Species for Oklahoma

Grass Broadleaf Brassica

Barley CG Flax CB Hybrid Brassica CB(Br)

Oats CG Safflower CB Canola /Rapeseed CB(Br)

Phacelia CG Chickling Vetch CB (L) Ethiopian Cabbage CB(Br)

Rye (cereal) CG Clover, Sweet CB (L) Mustard, brown, oriental or yellow CB(Br)

Ryegrass (annual) CG Pea, spring field CB (L) Radish CB(Br)

Ryegrass (Italian)** CG Pea, spring forage CB (L) Turnip CB(Br)

Triticale CG Vetch, common CB (L)

Triticale, spring CG Vetch, hairy or crown CB (L)

Wheat (winter) CG Vetch, woolypod (Lana) CB (L)

Corn (BMR) WG Clover, Red CB (L)

Millet, Foxtail (German) WG Chickpea (desi-type) CB (L)

Millet, Pearl WG Clover, Arrowleaf CB (L)

Millet, proso* WG clover, Berseem/Persian CB (L)

Sorghum, grain or forage WG clover, Crimson CB (L)

Sudangrass WG Clover, Subtearrean CB (L)

Sudan-sorghum hybrid WG Clover, White CB (L)

Wheat (egyptian) WG Faba Bean CB (L)

Lentil, spring CB (L)

Medic CB (L)

Pea, winter CB (L)

Sainfoin CB (L)

Buckwheat WB

Sunflower WB

Cowpea WB(L)

Soybean WB(L)

Birdsfoot Trefoil WB(L)

Mungbeans WB(L)

Sunn Hemp WB(L)

NW Oklahoma

• Wheat, Canola Rotation

• Concerns: Erosion after canola Nutrients after wheat

– Double crop sorghum after canola

– Cowpea, sudangrass cover after canola

– Mungbean, Egyptian wheat cover after canola

– Cowpea, soybean, German millet cover crop after wheat

SW Oklahoma

• 2-3 years Wheat, DC Cotton, 1-2 years Cotton

• Concerns: Erosion, Moisture, Compaction

– Add canola and or sorghum to rotation

– Mungbean, Egyptian wheat cover following wheat crops

– Wheat, turnip, radish cover following cotton crops

possible salinity concerns

– Barley, triticale, canola after cotton

– Cowpea, sunflower after wheat

Eastern Oklahoma

• Corn, Corn, Soybean, Soybean, Wheat, DC Soybean

• Concerns: Erosion, nutrients, moisture

– General winter cover with small grains, radish, turnip, winter pea

– N scavenging winter cover with ryegrass, canola, turnip, and radish

NC Oklahoma

• Wheat, Double Crop Soybean, Corn rotation

• Concerns: erosion after soybeans, diversity

– Over seed small grain cover into soybean before leaf drop

– Winter pea, small grain cover following soybean

Soil Health Summary

• We are all still learning

• Looking for opportunities…. – Producer trials

– Haney tests

• Cover crops fill void in rotations and improve soil health

• Lots of options to adapt and experiment

Contact your local office for more information