Management and Inputs Affect Cereal Rye Cover Crop Performance
In many environments and production systems, cereal rye is arguably the best cover crop [CC] species to use when factors such as biomass production and soil health enhancement are considered. That being stated, it follows that a best set of management practices should be used when a cereal rye CC is used so that maximum agronomic and return-on-investment [ROI] results can be achieved. Results reported in an article titled “Rye planting date impacts biomass production more than seeding rate and nitrogen fertilizer” by Balkcom et al. that appears in Agronomy Journal [2023; 115:2531-2368] address how planting date, rye seeding rate, and nitrogen [N] fertilizer addition affect the performance of a cereal rye CC. Pertinent points from that article follow.
• Benefits from and costs associated with using a CC in any production system depend on management of and inputs applied to that CC.
• The importance of identifying the best CC management practices that will enhance biomass production and subsequent benefits while minimizing costs associated with CC use is necessary for growers that plan to adopt CC’s or that plan to continue to use CC’s.
• A field experiment was conducted at Headland Alabama on a sandy soil during six growing seasons [2015-2020] where a summer crop of peanut or cotton followed a cereal rye CC.
• CC treatments were: 1) planting dates of late Oct., early and late Nov., and early Dec.; 2) rye seeding rates of 60 and 90 lb/acre; and 3) N rates of 0, 30, 60, and 90 lb/acre applied after rye emergence.
• The cereal rye CC was was terminated in Apr. each year.
• Variable costs associated with the CC were those for seed and the planting operation, N fertilization, and CC termination. Costs for all inputs were based on prices for the 2019-2020 growing season.
• In this experiment: 1) seeding rate had no effect on any of the measured variables; 2) rye biomass production increased as N rate increased, but this effect diminished as planting date was delayed; 3) maximum N uptake by the CC was greater in earlier plantings compared to that for the rye CC in the later plantings; 4) rye biomass production decreased as planting date was delayed; 5) the cost to produce CC biomass was greater in the later plantings; 6) as planting date was delayed, the C:N ratio in the cereal rye CC decreased; and 7) the cost of adding N fertilizer to the CC in the early plantings benefitted the ROI.
• Neither peanut nor cotton yields were affected by any of the CC management factors used in this study.
• The results from this study indicate that: 1) planting date of the cereal rye CC had a greater impact on its performance than either the seeding rate or the application of N; 2) the early-planted CC had an enhanced ROI from N application; 3) rye seeding rates in the region of this study could be reduced to the 60 lb/acre level; and 4) planting a CC as early as allowed in the region is critical for maximizing perceived benefits associated with CC use.
Growers planning to use/currently using a cereal rye CC are encouraged to access Dr. Balkcom’s presentation titled “Cover Crop Management” that was made at the 2023 MSU Row Crop Short Course. Growers are also encouraged to access the “Cover Crops” White Paper on this website that provides details about using CC’s in a crop production system.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Dec. 2023, larryh91746@gmail.com