Interseeding Cover Crops Into Corn And Soybeans - Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension; John Rethmel, Ohio Farmer, from the 2018 Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference, March 6 - 7, Ada, OH, USA. More presentations at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZBwPfKdlk4SB63zZy16kyA

1. Interseeding Cover Crops into
Growing Corn and Soybeans
Bruce Clevenger
OSU Extension
Defiance County
clevenger.10@osu.edu
John Rethmel
Farmer
Defiance County
jrethmel@hotmail.com

2. Intro Discussion
• Why we are presenting?
• What did we learn in 2017?
• Results and observations
• How to use preliminary data

3. Getting a Cover Crop Stand
• Some challenges were observed
– Post Fall Harvest planting Cover Crop
• Time and labor demands
• Weather and delayed harvest
– Pre Fall Harvest planting Cover Crop
• Flown on with aircraft
• High clearance ground equipment
• Slug feeding

4. Slug Feeding on Cover Crop Seed
September 27, 2015

5. Possible Direction
• Cover Crop seed to soil contact
• Time for top and roots to establish
• Interseeding seed with a row unit

14. Corn Agronomy
• Previous crop – Soybean
• Corn planting date – April 25, 2017
• Herbicide (RR Corn)
– Pre-emerge
• RoundUp Power Max (22oz) + Explorer (6oz)
– Post
• RoundUp Power Max (30oz)
• Nitrogen Sidedress – June 11, 2017

15. Interseeding into Corn
• Cover crop species
– Annual Ryegrass ( 13 lbs/acre)
– Cereal Rye (30 lbs/acre)
– No Cover Crop
• Interseeding date – June 19
• Corn Stage – V6
• Interseeding speed – 9 mph

16. Research Design - Corn
• 3 Treatments
• Randomized complete block
• Each block replicated 5 times
Rep 1 Rep 2 Rep 3
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303
1 3 2 1 2 3 1 3 2
Rep 4 Rep 5
401 402 403 501 502 503
3 2 1 2 1 3

18. June 19, 2017
After N Sidedress
After Post Herbicide Application

20. Next rainfall event after
interseeding 0.25”

22. Soybean Agronomy
• Previous crop – Soybean
• Soybean planting date – May 16, 2017
• Twin Row Planter
– 8 inches apart on 30 inch spacing
– 22 inches inter-row space before canopy
• Herbicide (RR Soy)
– Pre-emerge – 2oz Valor, 1qt 2-4,D (April 19, 2017)
– Post – 22 oz RoundUp PowerMax (May 17, 2017)
– Post – 36oz RoundUp PowerMax (July 19, 2018)

23. Interseeding into Soybean
• Cover crop species
– Annual Ryegrass (13 lbs/acre)
– Cereal Rye (29 lbs/acre)
– Oats (27lbs/acre)
– No Cover Crop
• Interseeding dates 2017
– July 26 – R3, soil moist, mellow
– August 9 – R5, soil dry, hard, cracked
– September 11 – R7, soil dry, hard, cracked

24. Research Design – Soybean
• 3 Factors, 3 Treatments, 1 Control
• Randomized complete block
• Each block replicated 4 times
Rep 1
101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110
5 7 1 9 8 2 6 10 4 3

26. July 26, 2017

27. July 26, 2017

28. Oats Cereal Rye Annual Ryegrass

29. September 11, 2017

30. September 11, 2017

31. August 10, 2017

32. Annual Ryegrass
Date of Interseeding July 26, 2017

33. Cereal Rye
Date of Interseeding July 26, 2017

34. Oats
Date of Interseeding July 26, 2017

36. Annual Ryegrass
Date of Interseeding September 11, 2017

37. Oats
Date of Interseeding September 11, 2017

40. 2017 Corn Yields by Interseeded Cover Crop
Treatment Mean Yield
Annual Ryegrass 186.5 a
Cereal Rye 177.2 a
No Cover Crop 185.0 a
LSD (0.10) C.V. 4.63 Mean yields not statistically
different

41. 2017 Soybean Yields by Interseeded Cover Crop
Treatment Mean Yields (bushels/acre)
Oats T1 57.1 A
No Cover Crop 53.1 AB
Oats T3 50.7 ABC
Cereal Rye T2 50.1 ABC
Cereal Rye T1 49.0 BC
Annual Ryegrass T2 48.7 BC
Annual Ryegrass T1 47.5 BC
Oats T2 44.8 C
Cereal Rye T3 44.5 C
Annual Ryegrass T3 44.0 C
Treatment effect significant at alpha = 10%
Mean Yields with different letters are significant

42. Plants dug and photographed February 27, 2018
Interseeded ARG 7/26 Interseeded CR 7/26 Post Harvest Drilled
CR Oct 10

43. Thank You
• Research Funding Support
– Conservation Tillage Conference
– Paul Martin and Sons
– Ken Feld Group (John Deere)
– Defiance Agricultural Research Assoc.
• 2017 was
– Experience and Learning
– Preliminary Data that needs more years