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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 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.
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.
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.
