Tag Archives: burndown of cover crops

Annual Ryegrass Control

Timely Tips for Termination
1. Timing is important. Late March – Mid April, depending on Midwest location
a. Burndown when the plant is 6 – 12”, before 1st node develops
b. Allow 5 – 7 days after annual ryegrass has begun to actively grow before spraying

2. Temperature is crucial. Should be above 60° F
a. Spray on a sunny day if possible
b. Wait a few days if nighttime temps dip below 38°F
c. Soil temperature should be above 45°F
d. Stop spraying about 4 hours before sunset to allow for max. translocation within the plant.

3. Coverage. Be thorough, use medium spray droplet and moderate pressure
a. Use flat fan nozzles, at 30 – 40 psi
b. Don’t use air induction nozzles that produce a course droplet size.

4. Primary application. One application of glyphosate may be enough for burndown
a. However, plan for two applications, using herbicide with a different mode of action
b. Scout the fields afterwards to ensure annual ryegrass is dead (it can appear brown but may grow back)
c. Glyphosate use. Apply at 1.25 – 1.5 lb. a.e./a
d. Add ammonium sulfate and a surfactant
e. Adjust pH and follow mixing directions on the label carefully
f. When using additives, mix them first for 3 – 5 minutes in a full tank of water, before adding the glyphosate;
water should be free of clay particles.

5. Precautions, and other herbicides to use when planting corn
a. Never mix atrazine or Callisto with glyphosate (ryegrass control will diminish)
b. Adding 1lb a.e./a Princep (simazine) improves weed control (not in sandy soil)
c. Use of Balance Pro, Prowl H2O, Resolve or Basis, 2,4-D, Axiom at full label rate for residual weed control.

6. Use of other herbicides when planting soybeans
a. After beans emerge, annual ryegrass escapes can be controlled with full rates of SelectMax, Poast Plus or
Fusilade DX.
b. Use fertilizer, surfactant, crop oil as label-directed. Less effective in cold temps.

Careful Management of Annual Ryegrass Burndown

The use of seed blends for annual ryegrass cover cropping may not be the best idea. Here’s why:

Each variety of annual ryegrass has certain characteristics for growth, including how quickly it comes out of dormancy in the spring. And there’s a potential problem with that: if you spray the annual ryegrass with glyphosate when the grass is still dormant, none of the herbicide will be absorbed by the dormant plants. Thus, while the application may kill the actively-growing annual ryegrass varieties, those varieties still lying dormant won’t be affected.

There are a couple ways to deal with this issue. The first is to plant only one variety, one that has been tested for the Midwest and has the capability to stand up to harsher winter weather. When applying glyphosate to a single variety, there won’t be any difference in the time the entire cover crop field comes out of dormancy.

If you’re facing this spring with a field of annual ryegrass blend, you must be more vigilant about the burndown. The best bet, if weather cooperates, is to give the entire cover crop an extra 5 – 7 days to come out of dormancy. It’s a bit tricky to tell what’s an actively growing plant, so ask your crop consultant if you have doubts. But, with an extra week before burndown, you will likely be spraying plants that have all come out of dormancy.

Sometimes, after spraying annual ryegrass, it appears that the job has been done…the grass looks brown and dead. But be watchful; sometimes the kill hasn’t been complete and new growth can occur. Scout your field in the week or so after the first glyphosate application and see if it’s completely killed. If not, a second application of herbicide will be needed.

For more information about the fine points of burndown, check out the handy one-page reference on the General Information page in this blog section, for today’s date. Otherwise, you can also check out the same information on the annual ryegrass cover crop website. (News releases 2013 – Annual Ryegrass Control)

Ryegrass, Clover, Radish are Top Picks for Post 2012 Drought Cover Crops

Annual ryegrass, crimson clover and radish are among the most popular cover crops this year in the Midwest, as farmers rushed to plant something to absorb some of the available nitrogen still in the soil. The drought stifled the corn harvest, and thus much of the nitrogen put out there for corn was subject to be washed into nearby streams and lakes. Planting a cover crop like annual ryegrass has a “two-fer” effect: preventing erosion and simultaneously keeping the nitrogen in place for aiding the next field crop in 2013.

Here’s the article link in the Tribune Star (Terre Haute, IN) in which farmers (both experienced and newcomers to cover cropping) and Purdue agronomist Eileen Kladivko discuss the value of cover crops.

 

Annual Ryegrass IS NOT THE SAME as Cereal Rye

The name “rye” in both cover crops is confusing.  Annual ryegrass is a grass; Cereal rye is a grain, more like wheat.

Both are used for cover crops and forage.

Here are some basic differences, with the most distinctive in bold:

1.                   Annual Ryegrass                                                                         2.      Cereal Rye

Seed size/weight –     very small (26 lb/bu)                                                          larger (56 lb/bu)

Plant date –         varies, but late Aug/early Sept. best                                    can be planted later Sept.

Seeding rate –     drill: 12 – 17 lb/ac; aerial: 25 lb/ac                                               drill: 45 lb/ac.

Winterkill –        med. risk, less with 40 days fall growth and snow cover                          no

Deep rooting –     yes, to 60 inches over a few years                                   not as deep, 24 – 36 inches

Top growth –      10 ” to 12″ in spring, before burndown                    20″ at burndown, can get to 72″

Nitrogen –       sequesters N; releases N after burndown                     sequesters N; too much in stalks

Management –    care in burndown; no volunteers!                         easy kill; careful w/ over growth

Allelopathic –                              no                                                          yes, with certain crop seeds

Cost –              less $/ac. because of low cost/# and fewer #/ac.                higher cost/# and more #/ac

 

Cover Crops This Fall Will Save Some Money on Nitrogen Next Year

All that corn in the field, dying. And with it, the prospect of additional losses of nitrogen fertilizer. If fields are mowed, or plowed under, in the wake of no-show corn, what happens to the nitrogen this fall, when the rains come? Leached out, poured into streams and rivers, sent to the already toxic Gulf of Mexico.

Cover crops, like annual ryegrass, prevent erosion. Just as importantly, they sequester nitrogen, acquiring what’s been left in the soil (normally 100-200 pounds/acre) and make much of it available next July, when maturing corn is looking for a boost.

Economically strapped farmers may be loathe to invest in cover crop seed for the fall when their insurance checks are still pending. Even more so for those without insurance. But if they’re going to plant corn next year, a cover crop this winter will be a huge asset next year. Even without a return on their corn investment this year, planting a cover crop can prevent further losses to erosion, while storing nitrogen for the crop next July and building soil more tolerant of drought.

 

Drought-stricken corn field: June 16 (left) and July 2 (right) – Robertson Farm, Benton, IL

Annual ryegrass, planted this fall (Aug. and early Sept), will send roots down to five feet in no-till acres, breaking up compaction and mining nutrients in deeper soil. Next spring, the nitrogen-rich cover crop will be killed before planting corn, and can give back as much as 70 percent of the stored nitrogen to maturing corn plants. Meanwhile, the deep roots of annual ryegrass become part of the growth of organic matter in healthy soil, even as corn roots grow past to reach deeper moisture in a dry year.

More info: www.ryegrasscovercrop.com

Contact: Dan Towery – IN agronomist, educator, former NRCS staffer: 765-490-0197.

 

Michigan State Univ. Touts Annual Ryegrass – With Stringent Managment

MSU Extension reported yesterday as popularity grows for annual ryegrass cover crops, it’s important to be aware of the optimal conditions under which to control it, burning it down in the spring before planting corn or soybeans.

MSU conducted field tests on annual ryegrass, and the results are beneficial for soil health and for achieving conservation goals (less erosion, less nutrient loss off fields, deeper rooting, more crop access to moisture in dry years, etc.)

Here is a section of their report. Click here to read the entire document and see photos.

In the last several years annual ryegrass (AR) has become a popular cover crop in the Midwest. It has most often been used in no-till farming systems in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. Michigan farmers have increased their use of annual ryegrass as new varieties have been released.

The root system for AR is massive and can grow up to three times deeper than its top growth. In other words, 10 inches of above ground growth can result in 30 inches of root growth. The fibrous root system for annual ryegrass can really enhance soil quality. When properly killed annual ryegrass is a great cover crop.

The best results for controlling annual ryegrass have been when annual ryegrass is actively growing and the air temperature is above 60° Fahrenheit.

Our study is looking at applying four different herbicide treatments at three different growth stages of annual ryegrass. These include annual ryegrass at: 6-8 inches, 10+ inches and after planting. Due to a cool spring, the best environmental conditions for controlling annual ryegrass were difficult. We actually had our best control of annual ryegrass when it was over 12 inches tall. We had better control of annual ryegrass on our higher sandier ground as compared to the lower high organic matter locations.

Successful Annual Ryegrass Burndown Recipe

Here are a few observations and comments on annual ryegrass burndown this year:

  1. ARG plants need to be actively growing for at least a week to ensure all plants are indeed actively growing
  2. To kill the annual ryegrass, I always recommend 1.25 lbs a.i./a of glyphosate
  3. Always recommend at least 1 pt 2,4-D
  4. Adding Basis , Sharpen or Canopy with the glyphosate worked well this year (some fields initially had about 95% kill with this combination  but after additional 5-7 days all annual ryegrass plants were dead). This also provide multiple modes of action. More work on timing and rates is needed.
  5. Adding atrazine or Callisto to the glyphosate (especially with cool conditions) will result in poor control of the annual ryegrass
  6. In a normal spring with cool temperatures  glyphosate doesn’t translocate well, so, the following is  recommended:
    1. Reduce carrier to 8-12 gal/ac
    2. Use AMS and also lower water pH to 4.5 to 5.5
    3. Spray on a sunny day if possible
    4. Stop spraying mid afternoon so that there is at least 5 hours of sunlight.

 

Yes, growers using annual ryegrass as a cover crop also have some additional management details to learn.  But it seems once they understand and believe these recommendations, then most of their problems also go away.

I have seen much lower broadleaf pressure on fields where growers are using cereal rye and annual ryegrass.  I have also observed these cover crops eliminating marestail (includging RR resistant marestail).

 

 

 

NW Indiana SWCD Research Report on Cover Crops including Annual Ryegrass

The Jasper/Newton Counties Soil and Water Conservation District report on cover crops (click here to see the whole report) is further proof of the efficacy of cover crops. Some highlights:

Here are the goals farmers (in their own words) are trying to accomplish:

  • Capture nitrogen
  •  Promote soil biology
  •  Improve soil quality
  •  Address compaction
  •  Reduce weed population
  •  Manure nutrient capture
  •  Prevent wind and water erosion
  •  Build organic matter
  •  Provide nitrogen credit
  •  Break hardpan layers
  •  Increase yields
  •  Reduce risk of drought
  •  Diversify rotation
  •  Be a steward

Pits dug, both in the fall after planting and again this spring, allowed a close look at how annual ryegrass and other cover crop varieties accomplished the task of breaking up compaction.Among the best, and no surprise here, was that annual ryegrass roots were found at depths of 3 to 4 feet.

Dan Perkins, the Watershed & Conservation Program Specialist who produced the report, also has some videos from the cover crop plots. Here’s one in which he shows off the fields with annual ryegrass, crimson clover and radish, and discusses the logic and process of successfully killing the cover crop in the spring.

Control of Annual Ryegrass

Problems can arise with any crop, and the problems multiply when management is lax. Cover crops are no exception.

Annual ryegrass has proven to be a valuable cover crop in numerous locations throughout the Midwest, Eastern Seaboard, Northern Plains states and even into southern reaches of Canadian provinces.

But, wherever you’re located, it’s important to follow basic management protocols when planting a cover crop.

1. Plant it at the right time (just before harvest, or just after) in the fall, when precipitation is expected. Doing so allows the cover crop sufficient time to establish before winter sets in and sends the cover crop into dormancy.

2. Kill the cover crop properly. Annual ryegrass is a vigorous plant and it takes sufficient ooomph to knock it out in the spring.

Try this recipe:1.5 quarts of glyphosate into 12 gallons of water. Use citric acid (or ammonium sulphate) to attain the optimum pH balance for the mix. Add Canopy (2.1 oz) and 2-4D (either a pint or a quart, depending on the cover crop).

3. The weather, the temperature and time of application are very important factors in management of cover crops. Overnight temperatures should consistently be above freezing. (It’s important that the annual ryegrass be completely out of dormant phase when the herbicide is applied.)

Moreover, daytime temperatures should be above 50 degrees, the weather dry, and spraying herbicides must be done early enough in the day to allow trans-location of the chemical into the plant. Best times to spray – between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

4. Scouting the acreage is part of the protocol. There are times when a second application is necessary, especially when the first application was applied when the conditions weren’t ideal.

For more information, click here

Midwest Cover Crop Council Publishes Cover Crop Manual

Producers who want to prevent soil erosion, improve nutrient cycling, sustain their soils, and protect the environment have been returning to a very old practice: planting cover crops.

Although farmers have been using cover crops for centuries, today’s producers are part of a generation that has little experience with them.  As they rediscover the role that cover crops can play in sustainable farming systems, many growers find they lack the experience and information necessary to take advantage of all the potential benefits cover crops can offer.  That inexperience can lead to costly mistakes.

This guide will help you effectively select, grow, and use cover crops in your farming systems.  While this guide isn’t the final word on cover crops, it is meant to be a useful reference.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND TO ORDER THE BOOK

http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/CoverCropsFG.aspx