Nutrient Concentrations of Cover Crops.

Cover crops have been shown to help reduce nutrient loss by taking up nutrients that could otherwise be lost due to leaching and erosion.  The nutrients become permanently bound to the plant tissues and are re-released to the soil upon decay. However, recommendations for determining the nutrient credit for the next crop are very limited, particularly for below ground tissues.  Information on the total amount of nutrient accumulation, the carbon to nitrogen ratios, and the ratio of above to below ground accumulation of cover crops could help develop better recommendations. This study was developed to measure the total nutrient uptake of both above and below ground tissues for a variety of cover crops. Ten cover crops (oats, radish, winter peas, annual ryegrass, sun hemp, sorghum sudangrass, buckwheat, crimson clover, hairy vetch, and triticale) were grown in plastic containers with a soil media that permitted root washing.  The crops were grown during a time period representing normal cover crop practice for the area of Lancaster, PA.  At the appropriate time for cover crop termination, the plants were harvested and roots washed.  Measurements of total above ground and root biomass were made and analyzed for nutrient content.  The results of the partitioning and nutrient content will be presented at this poster.