(03/03/22) ST. JOSEPH, La. — Cover crops and their many potential benefits to soil health took center stage at an LSU AgCenter field day March 2.

The event, held at the AgCenter Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph, was supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. Scientists spoke about the wide range of cover crop options available to farmers as well as how to manage them to realize improvements to the soil.

Many plants — from cereal rye to clovers to radishes — can be used as cover crops, which are planted after harvest and terminated before planting cash crops in the spring. While they are in the field, cover crops protect the ground from wind and rain, limiting soil erosion.

Beneath the soil surface, cover crops can offer additional advantages.

“They help to cycle nutrients through the system,” explained AgCenter soil scientist Lisa Fultz. “They take up the calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and nitrogen that are all sitting in the soil, put it into the biomass and then redistribute it at the soil surface. That then can get recycled back into the system and made available for future plants.”

Improving the soil’s nutrient makeup can also help with water management, said AgCenter conservation agronomist James Hendrix.

“Because of the effectiveness of these cover crops in making a soil more permeable to rainfall events, you’re going to get better utilization,” Hendrix said. “Instead of runoff, you’re going to get better penetration of this rainfall.”

Different cover crops accomplish different goals, Hendrix said, so farmers should choose species based on their objectives. And it’s important that they take care of their cover crops.

“You’re going to have to manage them just like a cash crop,” he said. “Management is going to be the driver of what results you’re going to get from these cover crops.”

Fultz and Hendrix are among a team of AgCenter scientists studying several aspects of using cover crops on Louisiana farms. Much of the existing data on the topic was generated in other states; it’s important to gather local information to help guide farmers’ decisions, Fultz said.

At the field day, other presenters included:
— Graduate student Andres Carrillo, who spoke about using cover crops in cotton fields and the effects on yield.

— AgCenter soil scientist Brenda Tubaña, who discussed nutrient management in fields where cover crops have been used.

— Dennis Burns, research coordinator at the Northeast Research Station, who talked about leaving residue from cash crops in fields following harvest to be used for cover in the off season.

— AgCenter weed scientist Donnie Miller, who offered suggestions for weed control in cover crops and herbicides that can be used for termination.

— Peters Egbedi, a graduate student, who discussed the importance of rotating cash and cover crops.

— Steve Nipper, of the NRCS, who demonstrated how cover crops and various tillage practices can affect water infiltration in soil and plant root features.

LSU AgCenter conservation agronomist James Hendrix, left, speaks to attendees of a cover crop and soil health field day at the AgCenter Northeast Research Station on March 2, 2022. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

A mixture of cereal rye and hairy vetch planted as cover crops is seen at the AgCenter Northeast Research Station on March 2, 2022. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

LSU AgCenter weed scientist Donnie Miller, left, speaks to attendees of a cover crop and soil health field day at the AgCenter Northeast Research Station on March 2, 2022. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter