Cover Crop Impacts on Crop Yield and Water Quality: Comparing Single Species to Mixtures
This study was conducted at six ISU research farms and the project compared three treatments: single species, mixture, and no cover crop. Before corn the single species is oats and the mixture contains oats, hairy vetch, and radish. Before soybean the single species is rye and the mixture contains rye, rapeseed, and radish. Evaluation was completed through fall and spring biomass collection and crop yield. To evaluate impacts on water quality, suction lysimeters were installed at 5 sites. Lysimeter pore water samples were taken and analyzed for nitrate once every two weeks over the growing season. The project started in Fall of 2013 and will continue through the 2019 crop season.