Multi-Species Cover Crop Mixtures: Forage Quantity and Quality for Fall Grazing.

Cover crops play an important role in soil health and management with numerous benefits but can be a costly investment.  Grazing cover crops can offset establishment and management costs, provide excellent quality forage, and offset pasture resources.  A study was conducted to examine the potential forage biomass and nutritive quality of a mixed species cover crop cocktail.  In August 2014 and 2015, sixteen treatments were drill seeded at the Southeast Kansas Research Station near Columbus, Kansas.  Each treatment consisted of a three-way mix representing cover crops from the plant families Brassicaceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae.  Eight species were planted, Forage radish (Raphanus sativus), Purple top turnip (Brassica rapa), Oat (Avena sativa), Rye (Secale cereale), Barley (Hordeum vulgare), Wheat (Triticum aestivium), Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense), and Berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum).  The plots were clipped at 45, 74 and 91 day intervals and evaluated to determine biomass, species composition, and forage quality parameters. At 74-days (2014), the biomass reached optimum grazing potential for biomass and forage quality.

In 2014, crude protein content ranged from 17 to 27% with an average value of 21%. Treatment 12 (oat, radish, clover) was the highest and treatment 16 (oat, radish, winter pea), the lowest (interesting since a negligible amount of legume was found in either mix and they both had oat and radish, and fairly even distribution between oat and radish). In 2015, crude protein ranged from 10 to 26% with an average value of 17%. 

When comparing grasses, in both years, oat produced the greatest quantity of DM biomass, followed by barley, with rye and wheat and equally the least.  Among brassica species, radish yielded greater biomass than turnip (only measuring the leafy green portion).  Winter pea was the best legume.  All differences within plant type are statistically significant at p<0.05