Potential of Alternative Legumes in Michigan Forage and Cover Crop Systems.

Forage legumes play two vital roles in Michigan agriculture: as feed for livestock and as “cover crops” to build soil and enhance the environment. We evaluated alternative bioactive annual forage legumes in Michigan. Spring and late summer seedings were made at four sites: East Lansing (EL), Rose Lake Plant Materials Center (RLPMC) in Bath, Lake City Research Center (LCRC), and Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center (UPREC) . Wet soil delayed plantings to the end of the desired spring forage planting period, and then transitioned abruptly into moderate drought conditions through June and July at the EL, RLPMC, and LCRC sites. At RLPMC, both seedings were rated a complete failure on the sandy soil and no yield data were taken. At UPREC, rainfall was adequate, but weed pressure was high in the spring seeding. Spring seedings produced one cutting at LCRC and UPREC and two cuttings at EL, and summer seedings produced one cutting at EL and LCRC. The summer seeding at UPREC never reached harvestable mass. Total annual dry matter yields were less than expected across the board (Table 1). Greater yields were obtained with summer than with spring seeding (P < 0.05) at the EL and LCRC sites, probably because of adequate soil moisture, an unusually warm autumn, and reduced weed pressure that is expected with late summer forage seedings. At UPREC, forage yields of all species except crimson clover were less than at other sites, while crimson yields among sites were greatest at UPREC (P < 0.05). The UPREC summer seeding was too late to produce a harvestable forage crop, but all summer-seeded legumes except sainfoin established well enough to provide a moderate forage harvest or a cover crop.