2019
Managing Salinity With Cover Crops: A Whole System Response
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Contributor/Checkoff:
North Dakota Soybean Council
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Field management Soil healthTillage
Parent Project:
Managing Salinity With Cover Crops: A Whole System Response
Lead Principal Investigator:
Caley Gasch, North Dakota State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
QSSB
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
North Dakota Soybean Council
$54,625
Institution Funded:
North Dakota State University
$54,625
Brief Project Summary:

Since the 2017 growing season, researchers have been monitoring soil properties, crop growth, and insect communities in four fields affected by salinity. Field-scale experiments will compare cover crop and no cover crop treatments across a gradient of saline soils, replicated across four farms, and spanning two rotation cycles, to capture variability in responses across different soil types and climates. Field operations have been completed and nearly all data has been collected over four years of this project. This project year, data analysis and communication of the results will be completed.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension specialists

Information And Results
Final Project Results

Update:
Due to the size of the final report you will need to access both File A & B for the full report.

View uploaded report Word file

View uploaded report 2 Word file

Research conducted
For two years, this study has been monitoring soil properties, plant growth, and insects in four fields that have salt patches (see figures with list of measurements and plot design). The fields are managed for a corn-soybean rotation, and are located near Jamestown, Aneta, and Northwood. Across each field, we broadcast cereal rye (at 40 lb/ac) before leaf drop, and then terminate it the following spring before, or at planting. We are curious if the cover crop will alleviate some of the negative effects of salinity on the soybeans, or if it poses too many risks to soybean production.

Why the research is important to ND soybean farmers
Salinity affects about 13% of North Dakota’s land area, and almost every farmer in the state works in fields that have salt patches. We hope to (1) identify if cover crops offer a practical management strategy to improve soybean production on salty land and to (2) provide education and guidance on managing saline soils.

Final findings of the research
This work is ongoing, but our findings so far indicate that the cereal rye, at the applied rate, does not negatively affect soybean growth (in terms of water use, fertility, or diseases and pests). However, we also haven’t seen any drastic changes, or improvements in the soil during the first two years of the study. We’ll be watching for the development of soil structure under the cover crop, which is a nice indicator of improved soil health. Unfortunately, the negative impacts of the salts seem to overwhelm any benefit of the cover crop, when applied at the 40 lb/ac rate.

Benefits/recommendations to North Dakota soybean farmers and industry
We have not observed rapid changes in soil properties, including salinity levels, during the two years of this study. We will continue to monitor these fields for another year (or two), and we will detect any soil structural benefits provided by the cereal rye. Based on these results, we recommend considering a higher rate of rye application, especially in areas where corn and soybeans won’t grow. Other plant species that are more salt tolerant (such as wheat, barley, or alfalfa) and low input are also options to consider for salty patches. We are confident that by increasing plant activity in saline soils (using salt-tolerant species), we can improve productivity in those problem areas in the long-run.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.