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Michael J. Mulvaney C. Wesley Wood Kipling Balkcom Dennis Shannon Joseph Kemble

Effects of High Biomass Cover Crops and Organic Mulches on Soil Properties and Collard Yield Three Years After Conversion to No-till. Michael J. Mulvaney C. Wesley Wood Kipling Balkcom Dennis Shannon Joseph Kemble.

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Michael J. Mulvaney C. Wesley Wood Kipling Balkcom Dennis Shannon Joseph Kemble

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  1. Effects of High Biomass Cover Crops and Organic Mulches on Soil Properties and Collard Yield Three Years After Conversion to No-till Michael J. Mulvaney C. Wesley Wood Kipling Balkcom Dennis Shannon Joseph Kemble The SANREM CRSP is made possible by the United States Agency for International Development and the generous support of the American people through Cooperative Agreement No. EPP-A-00-04-00013-00

  2. Conservation tillage offers: ↓ Erosion ↑ SOM ↑ Soil moisture Improved soil structure Soil temperature moderation Introduction Kip Balkcom, 2008

  3. Problem • #1 problem: Weed suppression • How to suppress weeds without tillage or herbicides?

  4. Solution? • High biomass cover crops (killed mulches) • Mulch Ted Kornecki, 2008

  5. Rationale • Combine cover crops and mulches • Improve soil quality on productive field • Effects on: • Yields, soil, weeds

  6. Objective Determine the effects of organic mulches and forage soybean as a summer cover crop on: • SOC • C mineralization • Total soil N • Aggregate stability • Collard yield in a no-till system during limited-input fall collard production

  7. Methods • 3 years: 2005-2008 • Central-Eastern AL • 2x4 RCB: • 2 summer cover crops: • Forage soybean, weed fallow • 4 organic mulches: • Lespedeza, mimosa, straw, control • 6.7 Mg ha-1 yr-1 • (3 t/ac/yr)

  8. Cropping Schedule Soybean or Control Rye Collards Rye Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mulch application

  9. Methods • C & N: • Dry combustion • C mineralization: • Lab incubation • NaOH trap • Aggregate stability: • Water immersion • Yield: • 65 DAP • 2.8 m2 (30 ft2)

  10. Statistics • SAS: • Proc Means: Means and standard errors • Proc Glimmix: Model variable selection • 95% CL for treatment comparisons

  11. SOC after 3 yrs A B BC C C

  12. Soil organic carbon

  13. A B BC CD D

  14. Other results • C mineralization • No treatment differences, 0-10 cm depth • Ave: 12.1 mg C kg-1 soil day-1 over 34 d @ 25 ºC • Aggregate stability • No treatment differences • 0-5 cm depth • Ave: 91% stable

  15. Other results • Collard Yields: • No treatment differences • Ave in SC (2001) 12,000 lbs/ac • Ave: 17,900 kg ha-1 = 16,000 lbs/ac • Assuming 25% waste & 1.1 lbs/bunch: • ATL market, Nov. 18, 2009: • 25 lbs/ctn: $12/ctn • $5,760/ac • No premium assumed

  16. Conclusions • Conversion to no-till increased SOC • Forage soybean did not affect SOC, TSN • Forage soybean decomposes quickly • Straw tended to have lower SOC and TSN compared to other mulching treatments at all depths • C mineralization, aggregate stability, yields not affected by mulching or forage soybean

  17. Acknowledgments • Dr. Wes Wood • Dr. Dennis Shannon • Dr. Kip Balkcom • Dr. Joe Kemble • Brenda Wood The SANREM CRSP is made possible by the United States Agency for International Development and the generous support of the American people through Cooperative Agreement No. EPP-A-00-04-00013-00

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