Cover Crop and Planting Date Effects on Corn Yield and Soil Fertility.

Agricultural production systems that have a cover crop included into their annual crop rotation can have a significant impact on soil fertility and yield capabilities of the subsequent crop. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of delayed planting of corn into a cover crop system and to quantify the biomass production of the cover crop and total nitrogen accumulation at three different termination dates. This experiment was conducted at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center located in Alexandria, LA. Soil type was a Coushatta silt loam. Corn was planted at three different planting dates. For each planting date, corn was planted into two different cover crop management systems which included a three mixture of Hairy vetch, Austrian winter pea, and Abruzzi rye versus winter weeds. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications in a factorial arrangement. Plots were eight rows by 100 feet in length and were planted on 38-inch row centers. Biomass production of the cover crop, soil nitrogen content, soil organic matter, and grain yields were evaluated across the three planting dates and the two cover crop management systems.