Abstract:
This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of late spring plantings of hairy vetch and medium red clover as weed suppressive cover crops for no-till corn. The competitiveness of each cover crop at two seeding rates with corn grown for grain vs. silage was also evaluated. Experiments were established at the OARDC Northwest Branch near Hoytville and the OARDC Western Branch near South Charleston. Corn was planted 26 May at Northwest and 21 May at Western. The hairy vetch and medium red clover cover crops were planted 29 June and 9 July at Northwest Branch and Western Branch, respectively, at low and high seeding rates (27 vs. 40 lb seed/A for hairy vetch and 11 vs. 21 lb seed/A for red clover).
These underseedings followed the final cultivation and coincided with corn developmental stages V6 to V8 - later than was originally planned due to wet weather conditions in June. A Tye no-till drill with chutes removed over corn rows was used to seed vetch and clover. A randomized complete block split-split plot design was used with corn hybrids (early vs. late maturity) as whole blocks, cover crop treatments as subplots and grain/silage harvest as sub-subplots. Cover crop treatments consisted of the two cover crops planted at two seeding rates, a weed free control, and a weedy control. Biomass of above ground cover crop was determined before frost and weed populations were rated at the time of corn maturity. Grain was harvested by plot combine and corn silage by hand at Hoytville and mechanical silage chopper at South Charleston.
In 1994 before planting corn, plots will be sampled again for above ground cover crop biomass. Biomass samples will be analyzed for percent nitrogen. In 1994 corn will be grown on plots with and without vetch at varying N rates to assess the potential N fertility contribution from the legume cover. The cover crops will be killed with an application of glyphosate immediately following no-tillage planting of corn. The severity of weed infestation and weed species composition will be recorded before and after corn planting.
Extension Program Implementation:
Plots were open for visual inspection during presentations at field days at both Hoytville and
South Charleston in 1993. Project data will serve as a basis for developing extension
recommendations for using hairy vetch and red clover cover crops in no-till corn. Results of the
study will be summarized in extension bulletins and the ICM newsletter.
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