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Effects of Seeding Rate and Poultry Litter on Weed Suppression from a Rolled Cereal Rye Cover Crop

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Matthew R. Ryan ,
William S. Curran ,
Alison M. Grantham ,
Laura K. Hunsberger ,
Steven B. Mirsky ,
David A. Mortensen ,
Eric A. Nord  and
Dave O. Wilson
Matthew R. Ryan*
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, 116 Agriculture Sciences and Industries Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
William S. Curran
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, 116 Agriculture Sciences and Industries Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
Alison M. Grantham
Affiliation:
The Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PA 19530
Laura K. Hunsberger
Affiliation:
Lower Eastern Shore Research and Education Center, University of Maryland, Salisbury, MD 21801
Steven B. Mirsky
Affiliation:
Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705
David A. Mortensen
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, 116 Agriculture Sciences and Industries Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
Eric A. Nord
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, 116 Agriculture Sciences and Industries Building, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
Dave O. Wilson
Affiliation:
The Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PA 19530
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: matt.ryan@psu.edu
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Abstract

Growing enough cover crop biomass to adequately suppress weeds is one of the primary challenges in reduced-tillage systems that rely on mulch-based weed suppression. We investigated two approaches to increasing cereal rye biomass for improved weed suppression: (1) increasing soil fertility and (2) increasing cereal rye seeding rate. We conducted a factorial experiment with three poultry litter application rates (0, 80, and 160 kg N ha−1) and three rye seeding rates (90, 150, and 210 kg seed ha−1) in Pennsylvania and Maryland in 2008 and 2009. We quantified rye biomass immediately after mechanically terminating it with a roller and weed biomass at 10 wk after termination (WAT). Rye biomass increased with poultry litter applications (675, 768, and 787 g m−2 in the 0, 80, and 160 kg N ha−1 treatments, respectively), but this increased rye biomass did not decrease weed biomass. In contrast, increasing rye seeding rate did not increase rye biomass, but it did reduce weed biomass (328, 279, and 225 g m−2 in the 90, 150, and 210 kg seed ha−1 treatments, respectively). In 2009, we also sampled ground cover before rolling and weed biomass and density at 4 WAT. Despite no treatment effects, we found a correlation between bare soil before rolling (%) and weed biomass at 4 WAT. Our results suggest that increased rye seeding rate can effectively reduce weed biomass and that ground cover in early spring can influence weed biomass later in the growing season.

Keywords

Cereal rye, Secale cereale LCover cropscereal ryeorganic
Type
Weed Management
Information
Weed Science , Volume 59 , Issue 3 , September 2011 , pp. 438 - 444
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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Footnotes

Current address: Penn State Cooperative Extension, 110 Greystone Building, Gracedale Complex, 14 Gracedale Avenue, Nazareth, PA 18064.

Current address: Cornell University Long Island Horticulture Research and Extension Center, 3059 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901.

Current address: King's Agriseeds Inc., 96 Paradise Lanes, Ronks PA, 17572.

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