Intensification of Summer Cover Crops Within Integrated No-Till Cropping Systems in Oklahoma.

Summer cover crops have not been extensively researched for their benefits in Oklahoma cropping systems.  Most producers in Oklahoma grow winter wheat from September to May or June and then leave their fields fallow over the summer.  Fallow periods often leave the bare soil exposed, or with little residue, furthermore making the soil vulnerable to wind and water erosion.  Soil water content can also be lost during the fallow period in the form of evaporation.  The main focus of our project was to test this theory of water loss during the fallow period vs. water use by the cover crops.  Which cover crop blend retained the most soil water content for the following wheat crop.  This study evaluated six blends of cover crops for their biomass production, protein concentration and water use efficiency.