Effect of Cover Crops On Soil Compaction and Soybeans Production.

Increased knowledge of the effects of cover crops on growth, development and yield of the following crop will enable increased adoption of cover crops in corn-soybean rotations in the Midwest. We evaluated soybean growth and development rates under different cover crops and soil compaction treatments in a typical Illinois Drummer series: very deep, poorly drained soil formed in loess or other silt materials. Cover crops used were: rye (Secale cereale L., cv.’’), triticale (× Triticosecale cv Presto), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) mixed with “groundhog radish” (Raphanus sativus) and “groundhog radish” sown alone after four compaction induced treatments in September 2010. The compaction treatments included no compaction (control), Small tractor, Large tractor and a hauling truck. Soybean vegetative parameters included leaf area index, biomass , height, and number of nodes. Yield data included pods per node, beans per pod, test weight and total yield.