While the impacts of cereal rye cover crop on corn production have been studied widely, there are still many questions about management practices for improving soybean yields following cereal rye. Cereal rye is the most commonly grown cover crop in the Upper Midwest because it overwinters and produces considerable biomass in the spring. Soybean is often planted into cereal rye with no problems, but some situations have been noted where yield was reduced. The mechanisms explaining this yield reduction are not well understood, especially related to potential soil water storage and soil nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) immobilization that can affect soybean development and nodulation. Optimizing soybean production and seed quality after cereal rye is essential to increase the adoption of cover crops by farmers in Indiana, a key infield sustainable practice for reducing agricultural nutrient losses.

1) Understand the paths that advance soybean production with cereal rye inclusion (i.e., soil moisture and temperature after planting, water holding capacity later in the season, N and S release from cover crop residue)
2) Investigate the impact of cereal rye N and S scavenging on soybean nutrient utilization (N and S), grain yield, and seed quality (protein and oil content)
3) Understand the mechanisms that impede soybean yield under cereal rye inclusion (i.e., immobilization of N and S, limited microbial activity, delayed soybean development, and nodulation/fixation)
4) Communicate results to agricultural community stakeholders through field days and extension publications

Key milestones of the project are cereal rye cover crop planting, cereal rye biomass sampling and termination, soil sampling before soybean planting, soybean planting + fertilizer application, tissue sampling at V4, R2, and R4, grain sampling at R8, soybean harvest, data analysis and interpretation, written report.

Preliminary results from 2023 will be presented at Extension winter workshops, meetings, and conferences of producers, Extension educators, and crop professionals across the Midwest. We will also write newsletter articles to be disseminated through Extension newsletters and popular press. Other communication partners include Hoosier Ag Today with our Purdue Crop Chat Podcast. Conclusions from the experiments in 2023-2024 will be shared at the American Society of Agronomy meetings and other professional meetings like North-Central Soil Fertility.

Update:

View uploaded report

In the near-term, we hope to find that soybean production after cereal rye can be maximized by advancing cover crop and intense/nutrient management synergies (i.e., N and S). In the long-term, this project will provide much-needed, practical information for increasing the number of acres in Indiana utilizing sustainable production practices such as cover crops and improved nutrient management.

Growers, agronomists, and soybean physiologists will be the beneficiaries of this research. We aim to determine the situations that could impede soybean development and yield following cereal rye and overcome it with adaptive management of N and S. Thus, we could also provide an underpinning for management strategies to maintain or improve soybean yield and quality when coupled with cereal rye.