375-12 Cover Crops Help Control Wind Erosion and Reduce Seedling Damage From Wind.



Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN

In the United States, wind erosion is the dominant problem on about 30 million hectares (73.6 million acres) and moderately to severely damages approximately 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) annually.  Blowing soil reduces seedling survival and growth of crops by lowering crop yields, loweing the marketability of vegetable crops, and increases the susceptibility of plants to diseases, and contributes to transmission to some plant pathogens.  Many crop management systems in the U.S. have room (time, water, and growing degree days) to grow a cover crop without adversely affect the remaining crops in the rotation.  Cover crops can reduce wind erosion and decrease seedling crop damage and increase the soil quality.  The Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) model can be used to predict the benefits of using cover covers.  Several examples are shown to demonstrate what effect the cover crop will have on the crop management system.  WEPS uses a version of the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC), crop grow sub-model, can only simulate growth of one crop at a time.  A cover crop grown at the same time as a cash crop requires special crop and operation files to model both crops correctly.  A method to model this is shown.  WEPS can also model how crops planted into a standing cover crop showing reduced seedling injury.  An example of a winter wheat cover protecting a young sugar beet crop is provided.
See more from this Division: S06 Soil & Water Management & Conservation
See more from this Session: Cover Crops: Impacts on Agronomic Crops, Soil Productivity, and Environmental Quality: II