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There is growing interest in the use of short-season summer annual legumes or grasses as cover crops and green manures in vegetable production systems. Cover crops can provide a significant source of nitrogen (N) for subsequent crops; reduce erosion, runoff, and potential pollution of surface waters; capture soil N that might otherwise be lost to leaching; add organic matter to the soil; improve soil physical properties; impact insect and disease life cycles; and suppress nematode populations and weed growth. There can be potential drawbacks, such as cooler soils in the spring, and the additional cost of seeding the cover crop. These factors must be considered depending on the particular cash crops and cover crops being grown.
This publication discusses research on under trellis cover crops at a North Carolina commercial vineyard and the impact of the practice on grapevine vigor, yield, vine balance, and fruit chemistry. It also covers under trellis cover crop management, common pitfalls, and mistakes to avoid.
Cover crops are pivotal parts of every organic farmer’s management scheme. They are crucial to the main goals of building soil health and preventing soil erosion. Cover crops are also important tools for increasing fertility and controlling weeds, pathogens, and insects in organic crops. In this publication, we will discuss planting, growing, and incorporating cover crops as amendments into the soil.
This publication focuses on organic hemp production in North Carolina, where hemp is cultivated for cannabidiol (CBD) from female flowers. Researchers compared organic nitrogen sources and bedding systems to assess their impact on plant-available nitrogen, cannabinoid content, and floral hemp biomass throughout the growing season.
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.
A new group of cover crops for winter and summer use include mustards, oilseed radishes and turnips. When young, these plants resemble turnip greens, are very succulent and have a low C:N ratio, resulting in rapid decomposition when incorporated into the soil. However, if allowed to mature, bolt and flower, they produce a large amount of biomass in a short period of time and become woody, resulting in slower decomposition than when killed at an immature stage.
This publication provides recommendations for managing essential nutrient concentrations when growing organic tobacco in greenhouses using a float system.
This publication provides recommendations for managing essential nutrient concentrations when growing organic tobacco in the field.
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.
