Investigating Cover Crops in Dryland Pacific Northwest Winter Wheat Rotations.

Cover crops have the potential to provide multiple benefits in a cropping system. There is a renewed interest in these crops due to their potential role in reducing chemical inputs and improving soil quality. However there have been mixed results of the efficacy of cover crops to prevent erosion, improve soil’s physical and biological properties, supply nutrients, suppress weeds, improve the availability of soil water, and break pest cycles along with various other benefits. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of growing a variety of spring planted cover crops compared to spring seed crops (i.e. canola, wheat, barley, and pea) and their impact on subsequent winter wheat production and profitability. Factors examined include soil organic matter, soil fertility, soil moisture, plant biomass, and yield from seed crops. It is hoped that with this information growers will be able to determine the economic, environmental, and sustainable feasibility of utilizing cover crops in the dryland regions of northern Idaho.  Results from the first year of cover crops and spring seed crops is presented and discussed.