They’re Trying A Cover Crop That Pays Off

They’re Trying A Cover Crop That Pays Off CROPS Miscellaneous Field pennycress may be a cover crop that pays off in multiple ways Two University of Minnesota agronomy and plant genetics researchers Alex Hard and Scott Wells are hoping to develop the high oil content winter annual weed as a cash crop They have interseeded it and its close relative camelina into late season corn They are using a high-clearance tractor designed for research plot spray work Hard and Wells had the Avenger from LeeAgra reconfigured for interseeding “We took the base model and mounted an orbital air seeder from Gandy with adjustable length drops and seed dispersers ” explains Hard “Our engineer on campus set it up to provide seed-to-soil contact At the bottom of the drops we have a plate with chains to spread the pennycress The camelina likes more seed-to-soil contact so the plate used with it has spring-tooth tines and drag chains ” The Avenger has adjustable under frame clearance of 59 to 84 in Hard describes it as well suited for soybeans at its lowest height and able to plant into corn more than 10 ft tall However he emphasizes that the Avenger is strictly a “proof of concept” prototype “It can only handle planting into 3 rows with soil disturbance perhaps 5 when directed broadcast ” says Hard He notes that timing is key While the machine can plant into corn at tassel there is too much canopy for the oilseeds to do well “We shoot for September when the corn is at R4 R5 and R6 ” says Hard The researchers are now in their second year of planting with the Avenger Success was best with shorter season hybrids that start to dry down early “Next year we will be comparing 4 or 5 different hybrids with 80 to 100-day maturities ” says Hard Come spring they will be trying a different type of interseeding as they no-till soybeans into the pennycress The soybeans will be planted into the old corn rows just as the pennycress starts to bolt “About 3 weeks later we should be able to clip the pennycress seed heads and the soybeans will be ready to take off ” says Hard The 2 researchers are still working with old lines of the 2 oilseeds New lines have been developed and eventually will be introduced into the interseeding field trials “We are trying to establish and answer the more fundamental questions but we won’t see the real potential until the genetics are introduced ” says Hard Hard and Wells have also interseeded more conventional cover crops with the Avenger In one study this year they interseeded 15 different cover crop varieties into late season corn and soybeans Hard reports the small seeded oilseeds grains clovers and brassicas do best with the surface seeder while large seeded crops do better when planted an inch or more deep “Grasses like annual rye did best ” says Hard “They can handle less disturbance and germinate on top of the soil ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Alexander W  Hard Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics 411 Borlaug Hall 1991 Upper Buford Circle St Paul Minn 55108 ph 612 594-8293; hardx006@umn edu

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