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This publication discusses production of winter annual cover crops, their benefits and management. Research has shown several important benefits of planting winter annual cover crops, chief among them erosion control, addition of nitrogen (N) to the soil for use by a subsequent crop, removal of nitrogen from the soil to prevent nutrient loading, buildup of soil organic matter and buildup of residue that acts as a mulch for water conservation or retention.
This publication offers fertilizer suggestions for a variety of crops, including field, pasture and hay crops, tree fruit, small fruit, ornamental plants and vegetable crops.
This chapter of the North Carolina Organic Commodities Production Guide covers key management practices for organic soybean production: variety selection, planting times, plant population, and crop rotation.
This chapter of the North Carolina Organic Commodities Production Guide discusses cultural, mechanical and chemical tactics used for weed control in organic farming.
This chapter of the North Carolina Organic Commodities Production Guide defines the key components of organic production systems: crop sequence, crop management, soil management, and pest management.
A few weed species in North Carolina have become pervasive across the state and are frequently found in different crops. They form dense populations and reduce yields, making production more challenging. This publication discusses herbicide-resistant biotypes in agronomic and vegetable crops in North Carolina and reviews herbicide resistance management recommendations.
This publication discusses the findings of applied research conducted to answer production questions about growing grain peas in North Carolina. Topics include planting date, seeding rate, and variety selection.
This chapter of the North Carolina Organic Commodities Production Guide discusses rolled cover crop mulches for organic corn and soybean production.
This publication discusses the methods and results of a study researching the benefits of cover crop mulches in cotton production. Cover crops provide nutrients to subsequent crops while conserving soil moisture and suppressing weeds, pests, and diseases without adversely affecting yield.
The North Carolina Organic Commodities Production Guide provides farmers, Extension personnel and other agricultural educators with information about organic production, certification and marketing of crops. The introduction provides background context and additional resources on the topic.
This study examined the impact of termination timing on cereal rye biomass across 4 North Carolina locations for 2 growing seasons. Termination times were 4 weeks before and at soybean planting. Biomass samples were collected to determine if delaying termination significantly impacted the biomass achieved by the cereal rye cover. Cereal rye biomass ranged from 1325.4 lbs/acre to 6006.5 lbs/acre across environments and treatments. Delaying termination (Green) resulted in significantly higher cereal rye biomass for only 3 of 8 environments. The remaining 5 environments saw no significant gain in biomass from delaying termination an additional 4 weeks. These results suggest that terminating cereal rye at soybean planting may not be necessary to maximize biomass in our Southeastern climate.
Expanding organic grain markets have increased interest in mechanical weed control. Learn how the rotary hoe can be used to control weeds in large-seeded grain crops such as corn and soybeans.
For organic soybean producers increased seeding rates improve early soybean canopy density, which shades out weeds in the early stages of weed competition. Organic soybean producers can increase seeding rates with much less of a negative impact on economic return than for conventional production with herbicides.
This publication provides research-based guidance on using cover crops in organic corn production to suppress weeds and provide fertility benefits.
This publication discusses a study to compare five winter pea genotypes to crimson clover and hairy vetch for biomass production in mixture with various small grains.
