NMSU Studies Cover Crops
Evaluating which crops are most appropriate for winter kill mulch
By Jennifer Gipson
Doctor Erin Silva, an Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University, in the Agronomy and Horticulture Department, along with Co-PI, Doctor Constance Falk, a Professor in the Agricultural Business and Agricultural Economics Department, are currently working on a Rio Grande Basin Initiative Project titled Killed Mulch Cover Crop Systems and Water Management in Southern New Mexico. The objective of their project is to determine which cover crops are most appropriate for use in a winter kill mulch system in both conventional and organic vegetable production.
Lablab beans, cow peas and sudex were chosen as cover crops to evaluate the soil moisture and conservation benefits.
They are evaluating the emergence and ground coverage of selected warm-season annual cover crops while also determining optimal planting dates for selected warm-season annual cover crops. The water usage, biomass production, soil water moisture retention, and weed suppression of these crops is also assessed in order to determine the effect of the cover crops on the subsequent yields of the vegetable crops planted into the mulch.
The study is evaluating the soil moisture conservation benefits of three different cover crops planted in late summer and early autumn. The cover crops that were chosen are Lablab beans, Cow peas, and Sudex. Currently, the crops are monitored for the amount of water they are using. Once they die, the percentage of groundcover will be monitored, along with the weed suppression capabilities.
The ultimate outcome will provide recommendations of potential cover crop varieties and planting dates for use in killed-mulch systems that would provide soil moisture conservation, weed suppression, and wind protection on the subsequent crops. At the conclusion of the project, actual amounts of water saved through the adoption of the system will be calculated. Economic analyses and cost and return estimates regarding the use of a killed-mulch system will be reported and made available to growers.
A presentation on the project is planned for the 2006 Southwest Vegetable Conference in Las Cruces, in order to describe the work to growers. In addition, a presentation of this experiment will be included at the 2006 Chili Field Day with the intention of distributing the information to growers who may be interested in this production technique. Results will also be presented at the Rio Grande Basin Initiative Annual Meeting.
