Crownvetch (Coronilla varia) in comparison with cover crops as living mulch in maize
1994
Ammon, H.U. (Eidgenoessische Forschungsanstalt fuer Landwirtschaftlichen Pflanzenbau, Zuerich-Reckenholz (Switzerland)) | Bohren, C. | Hartwig, N.L.
With the strip-till seeding of maize, the soil between the maize-rows is not tilled. The undisturbed cover crops may be used as dead or as living mulch in maize. Winter hardy turnip (Brassica rapa) did not show any recovery growth after the chopping before seeding of maize. Soil erosion was controlled and weed emergence was reduced by dead mulch. Maize yield was high with and without herbicide treatments. During and after harvest, the soil remained uncovered. Ryegrass as a mixture of predominantly Westerwoldish and perennial ryegrass with little white clover, was cut for silage before maize seeding. Grasses recovered vigourously thereafter. Corn silage yields were significantly reduced due to competition in all treatments except glyphosate, which weakened ryegrass early enough. During and after harvest, the soil was covered by dead mulch and some living grasses and clovers. White clover (Trifolium repens) allowed with all suppression treatments some cover recovery growth without a loss in corn yield. According to extensive experimental work in Pennsylvania (Hartwig 1983) crownvetch (Coronilla varia), a perennial legume, is suitable for permanent soil cover in corn. The first experiences in Switzerland fully agree with these results. With low toxicity herbicides the growth of crownvetch could be sufficiently suppressed to enable a high corn yield without killing the vetch. The ground cover during and after harvest by crownvetch was better than with all other cover crops
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