Drill-interseeded into vegetative growth stage 3 reap benefits in the US

Maize (Corn)

United States

Innovation & Technology

Published May 10, 2024

Tridge summary

Research published in Weed Science reveals that interseeding cover crops into corn at the vegetative growth stage 3 (V3) can outperform weeds in Northeast U.S. production regions. Conducted by John Wallace and colleagues from Pennsylvania State University, the study finds that interseeding at V3 stage and in 30-inch row spacings can satisfy production and sustainability goals by extending the cover-crop establishment period before rapid corn canopy closure. This strategy offers benefits such as improved water infiltration, reduced erosion, increased nitrogen scavenging, and carbon accumulation. The research also highlights that 30-inch corn rows not only enhance cover crop fitness but also increase corn yields at two out of three locations.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

Research published in the journal Weed Science shows that drill-interseeded cover crops into vegetative growth stage 3 (V3) corn performs well in Northeast U.S. production regions. The paper is titled "Light partitioning strategies impact relative fitness of weeds and cover crops when drill-interseeding in corn.""Our results show that interseeding cover crops early, at the V3 corn-growth stage and in 30-in. row spacing, can balance cover crop and corn production management goals, while placing cover crops at a relative fitness advantage over weeds," says John Wallace, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania State University, the article's lead author."Compared to interseeding at the V6 corn growth stage, interseeding at the V3 corn growth stage lengthens the cover-crop establishment period before rapid corn canopy closure, and thus contributes to a relative fitness advantage of cover crops over weeds."Cover crops help corn producers achieve both sustainability and production ...

Source: Phys