The Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia (UGA) Cotton Team advise growers about the importance of summer cover crop options for fields that will be left fallow this growing season.
Taylor Singleton, UGA assistant professor and Extension sustainability specialist, outlined in the UGA Cotton Team June Newsletter what growers must remember when planting cover crops.
- Soil erosion: Keeping the soil covered ensures that the soil remains in place. When fields lose topsoil, growers lose organic matter and soil structure, impacting the ability to produce a crop in the future.
- Organic matter: If growers have or add organic matter to the soil, it is a huge benefit for cash crop systems. Organic matter improves the overall physical condition of the soil.
- Nitrogen cycling: Cover crops help keep the nitrogen in the soil, which could otherwise be lost to leaching.
- Pest suppression: A ground cover will help with weed suppression, suppressing growth of weeds that would normally be adding weed seed back to the soil seed bank during the fallow period. Cover crops can positively or negatively benefit pest cycles for insects and diseases.
Growers who are considering a summer cover crop species will need to consider their budget and overall goal when choosing a cover crop. Grains/grasses like Browntop Millet, Japanese Millet, Sorghum, Sorghum Sudangrass and Pearl Millet are options; as are legumes like Cowpeas and Sunn Hemp.
“We are currently working to update cover crop resources available through UGA Extension, for both cool-season and warm-season species,” Singleton wrote. “Please contact your county Extension agent if you have any questions.”
Source: UGA Cotton Team Newsletter