| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
a Department of Agronomy, 3218 Agronomy Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1010 USA
tgriffin{at}umext.maine.edu
Legume cover crops can supply all or most of the N required by a subsequent crop if legume biomass is of sufficient quantity and N mineralization is approximately synchronous with crop demand. Three 2-yr crop rotation cycles were conducted on a Lamoine silt loam (fine, illitic, nonacid, frigid Aeric Epiaquept) soil in Maine to (i) evaluate biomass and N accumulation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), winter rye (Secale cereale L.), and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth subsp. villosa) plus winter rye cover crops; (ii) determine sweet corn (Zea mays L.) response to legume and fertilizer N sources in a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)–sweet corn rotation; and (iii) assess the accuracy of the presidedress soil nitrate test (PSNT) and leaf chlorophyll N test (LCNT) for distinguishing N-responsive and nonresponsive sweet corn. Both legumes accumulated more N than rye grown alone, although total biomass was similar. Sweet corn following rye always exhibited a linear response to N fertilizer (up to 156 kg N ha-1), but generally exhibited no response to added N following either alfalfa or hairy vetch plus winter rye (VR). Both PSNT and LCNT were 75% accurate in identifying plots responsive to additional fertilizer N. The legume cover crops grown were able to replace all or nearly all of the N fertilizer required by a subsequent sweet corn crop, with fertilizer replacement values (FRVs) of 58 to 156 kg N ha-1 in a short-season environment. These cover crops are a viable alternative source of N, greatly reducing or eliminating the need for N fertilizer.
Abbreviations: FRV, fertilizer replacement value • LCNT, leaf chlorophyll N test • PSNT, presidedress soil nitrate test • VR, hairy vetch plus winter rye • DM, dry matter
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  M. Sharifi, B. J. Zebarth, D. L. Burton, C. A. Grant, and G. A. Porter Organic Amendment History and Crop Rotation Effects on Soil Nitrogen Mineralization Potential and Soil Nitrogen Supply in a Potato Cropping System Agron. J., October 21, 2008; 100(6): 1562 - 1572. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. M. Cherr, J. M. S. Scholberg, and R. McSorley Green Manure as Nitrogen Source for Sweet Corn in a Warm-Temperate Environment Agron. J., August 3, 2006; 98(5): 1173 - 1180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. M. Cherr, J. M. S. Scholberg, and R. McSorley Green Manure Approaches to Crop Production: A Synthesis Agron. J., February 7, 2006; 98(2): 302 - 319. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. L. Weinert, W. L. Pan, M. R. Moneymaker, G. S. Santo, and R. G. Stevens Nitrogen Recycling by Nonleguminous Winter Cover Crops to Reduce Leaching in Potato Rotations Agron. J., March 1, 2002; 94(2): 365 - 372. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. E. Blackshaw, J. R. Moyer, R. C. Doram, A.L. Boswall, and E. G. Smith Suitability of Undersown Sweetclover as a Fallow Replacement in Semiarid Cropping Systems Agron. J., July 1, 2001; 93(4): 863 - 868. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. J.O. Odhiambo and A. A. Bomke Grass and Legume Cover Crop Effects on Dry Matter and Nitrogen Accumulation Agron. J., March 1, 2001; 93(2): 299 - 307. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| The SCI Journals | Crop Science | Vadose Zone Journal | |||
| Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education |
Soil Science Society of America Journal | ||||
| Journal of Plant Registrations | Journal of Environmental Quality |
The Plant Genome | |||
