VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Reiter, Mark S."

Browsing by Author "Reiter, Mark S."

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2014 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations
Reiter, Mark S.; Rideout, Steven L.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Wilson, Henry P.; Parkhurst, James A.; Straw, Allen; Samtani, Jayesh B.; Gu, Ganyu; Mullins, Chris; Hines, Thomas E.; Waldenmaier, Christine M.; Doughty, Hélène; Mason, John E.; Freeman, Josh H. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2014-02-19)
New varieties and strains of vegetables are constantly being developed throughout the world and it is impossible to list and describe all of them, only those that are available and are adapted to the mid-Atlantic region are listed in this publication. The ultimate value of a variety for a particular purpose is determined by the grower: performance under his or her management adaptation to specific environmental conditions, and having desired horticultural characteristics.
2020 Virginia Tech Eastern Shore AREC Virtual Research Field Day
Reiter, Mark S.; Deitch, Ursula; Pittman, Theresa; Flessner, Michael; Rideout, Steven L.; Zhang, Bo; Vallotton, Amber; Thomason, Wade E.; Wolters, Bethany; Templeton, Jenny; Lawrence, Cris; Strawn, Laura K.; Neill, Clinton L.; Sutton, Kemper; Britt, Kadie; Boyle, Sean; Pagini, Mika; Kuhar, Thomas P. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2020-08-18)
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center Virtual Research Field day includes various presentations and publications of the authors’ above, which are each linked in the body of the publication
2021 Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook
Kuhar, Thomas P.; Rideout, Steven L.; Reiter, Mark S. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2021-01-07)
This handbook represents a joint effort among Extension specialists and researchers from 12 land-grant universities in the U.S. who work in the area of vegetable production. These specialists and researchers represent a wide array of disciplines: agricultural engineering, entomology, olericulture (vegetable production), plant pathology, postharvest physiology, soil science, and weed science.
2021 Virtual Eastern Shore Agricultural Conference and Trade Show
Pittman, Theresa; Deitch, Ursula T.; Reiter, Mark S.; Singh, Vijay; Mason, John; Duerksen, Keren; Haymaker, Joseph; Doughty, Helene; Holshouser, David Lee, 1963-; Langston, David B.; Flessner, Michael; Rideout, Steven L.; Thomason, Wade E.; McCullough, Chris T.; Sutton, Kemper L.; Bekelja, Kyle; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Richardson, Bruce; Harper, Robert; Richardson, Brett; Shockley, Bill (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2021-03-12)
Join us for the 2021 virtual Eastern Shore Agricultural Conference and Trade Show! Hear updates and continuing education presentations that are pertinent to Eastern Shore of Virginia growers.
2022-2023 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations
Reiter, Mark S.; Samtani, Jayesh; Torres Quezada, Emmanuel; Singh, Vijay; Doughty, H.; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Sutton, Kemper; Wilson, James; Langston, David B.; Rideout, Steven; Parkhurst, James; Strawn, Laura K. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2022-11-30)
This copy of the 2022/2023 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations replaces all previous editions of the Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations published individually for Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Information presented in this publication is based on research results from the University of Delaware, the University of Maryland, Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey, The Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, West Virginia University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, combined with industry and grower knowledge and experience. This publication will be revised biennially. In January 2023, a Critical Update with important updates for this publication will be communicated through local Extension Agents and Vegetable Specialists. The editors welcome constructive criticism and suggestions from growers and industry personnel who may wish to help improve future editions of this publication. These recommendations are intended for the commercial vegetable grower who has to make numerous managerial decisions. Although the proper choices of variety, pesticides, equipment, irrigation, fertilizer, and cultural practices are the individual vegetable grower’s responsibility, it is intended that these recommendations will facilitate decision-making. Recommended planting dates will vary across the six-state region. Local weather conditions, grower experience, and variety may facilitate successful harvest on crops planted outside the planting dates listed in this guide. This can be evaluated in consultation with the local agents and state specialists. Government agencies and other organizations administrating crop insurance programs or other support programs should contact local Extension agents and/or vegetable specialists for guidance. Not to be used by home gardeners.
Agricultural Practices Influence Salmonella Contamination and Survival in Pre-harvest Tomato Production
Gu, Ganyu; Strawn, Laura K.; Oryang, David O.; Zheng, Jie; Reed, Elizabeth A.; Ottesen, Andrea R.; Bell, Rebecca L.; Chen, Yuhuan; Duret, Steven; Ingram, David T.; Reiter, Mark S.; Pfuntner, Rachel; Brown, Eric W.; Rideout, Steven L. (Frontiers, 2018-10-16)
Between 2000 and 2010 the Eastern Shore of Virginia was implicated in four Salmonella outbreaks associated with tomato. Therefore, a multi-year study (2012-2015) was performed to investigate presumptive factors associated with the contamination of Salmonella within tomato fields at Virginia Tech's Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Factors including irrigation water sources (pond and well), type of soil amendment: fresh poultry litter (PL), PL ash, and a conventional fertilizer (triple superphosphate - TSP), and production practices: staked with plastic mulch (SP), staked without plastic mulch (SW), and non-staked without plastic mulch (NW), were evaluated by split-plot or complete-block design. All field experiments relied on naturally occurring Salmonella contamination, except one follow up experiment (worst-case scenario) which examined the potential for contamination in tomato fruits when Salmonella was applied through drip irrigation. Samples were collected from pond and well water; PL, PL ash, and TSP; and the rhizosphere, leaves, and fruits of tomato plants. Salmonella was quantified using a most probable number method and contamination ratios were calculated for each treatment. Salmonella serovar was determined by molecular serotyping. Salmonella populations varied significantly by year; however, similar trends were evident each year. Findings showed use of untreated pond water and raw PL amendment increased the likelihood of Salmonella detection in tomato plots. Salmonella Newport and Typhimurium were the most frequently detected serovars in pond water and PL amendment samples, respectively. Interestingly, while these factors increased the likelihood of Salmonella detection in tomato plots (rhizosphere and leaves), all tomato fruits sampled (n = 4800) from these plots were Salmonella negative. Contamination of tomato fruits was extremely low (< 1%) even when tomato plots were artificially inoculated with an attenuated Salmonella Newport strain (10(4) CFU/mL). Furthermore, Salmonella was not detected in tomato plots irrigated using well water and amended with PL ash or TSP. Production practices also influenced the likelihood of Salmonella detection in tomato plots. Salmonella detection was higher in tomato leaf samples for NW plots, compared to SP and SW plots. This study provides evidence that attention to agricultural inputs and production practices may help reduce the likelihood of Salmonella contamination in tomato fields.
Ammonia Volatilization, Urea Hydrolysis, and Urease Inhibition with the Application of Granular Urea in Agroecosystems
Frame, William Hunter (Virginia Tech, 2012-03-22)
Synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizers play a key role in human nutrition and crop production. The most widely used N source globally is urea; however, N loss via ammonia volatilization can be great in agricultural systems where urea is surface-applied. The objectives of the experiments reported in this dissertation were: 1) evaluate the performance of a new laboratory ammonia volatilization measurement system for measuring ammonia volatilization from coated granular urea; 2) determine if urease can be extracted from corn and soybean residues; 3) determine if differences in urease activity are present in corn and soybean residues; and 4) evaluate N content and yield of corn treated with surface-applied coated urea fertilizers. The laboratory ammonia volatilization system had a system recovery efficiency (SRE) of 97% of the applied N and the lowest variation in mg N captured in the acid traps when the air flow rate was 1.00 L min⁻¹, at 26°C, and an acid trap volume of 100 ml 0.02M phosphoric acid. Ammonia volatilization was greatest from 12-24 h after N application with a total of 17% of the applied N being lost during that period. The urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoic triamide (NBPT) was the most effective ammonia volatilization control treatment and reduced ammonia losses 30-40% compared to urea in the laboratory trials. Urease was extracted from soybean residue and retained activity during extraction; however, urease from corn residue could not be identified in extracts. The agronomic field trials indicated that NBPT increased N concentration in corn ear leaves; however the effect on corn grain yield was masked by environmental conditions. The data from this study suggests that ammonia volatilization from granular urea can be effectively controlled using NBPT, and corn tissue N content in the field indicates that NBPT allows for more N to be utilized by the plant. The urease extraction showed that there may be differences in urease activity in different crop residues. Further research is needed to determine if varying levels of volatilization control are needed for urea applied to different crop residues in no-till systems.
Analysis of Soil Tests: Nutrients and Soil Properties to Help Farmers Improve Management Practices
Motley, Natalie M. (Virginia Tech, 2020-05-11)
Soil nutrients and properties are the foundation of plant growth and our health. The basis of our soil starts with its texture. Soil texture impacts infiltration rate and cation exchange capacity; which in turn affects water and nutrient availability in plants. Analysis of soil nutrients and properties is imperative for effectively managing adequate soil levels and helping prevent excessive amounts of fertilizer applications. While research studies were conducted to analyze specific nutrients, these studies do not provide farmers the importance of certain nutrients and soil testing on specific farmland parcels. This research study identified soil texture for three parcels of farmland in Dewitt County, Illinois, described soil sampling methodology used, and trends of periodic testing results. Analysis of the soil testing results was compared to recommended optimal soil test values. Key nutrients that were analyzed were phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, as well as pH and organic matter content. Management practices were also assessed. Most test results identified nutrients within the optimum values. Where there were slight variations, effective management of fertilizer applications were applied. Variable rate technology was used to spread fertilizers specifically to field locations in need. Management practices, including crop rotation, were used and based on soil test results, farmers were able to maintain a critical balance of adequate soil nutrients. Further, based on pH soil test results, farmers applied a liming program to regain optimal pH levels for annual crop production. While the organic matter content on one of the three parcels had declined below the Illinois average level, the other two parcels remained within the average range. Maintaining soil nutrient levels through periodic and consistent soil testing is paramount to help farmers more efficiently use limited resources for protecting the soil quality for future generations.
Combining Agronomic and Pest Studies to Identify Vegetable Soybean Genotypes Suitable for Commercial Edamame Production in the Mid-Atlantic U.S.
Lord, Nick; Kuhar, Thomas P.; Rideout, Steven L.; Sutton, Kemper L.; Alford, Adam M.; Li, Xiaoying; Wu, Xingbo; Reiter, Mark S.; Doughty, Hélène; Zhang, Bo (Scientific Research Publishing, 2021)
Currently, domestic production of vegetable soybean (aka “edamame”) lags well behind consumer demand, with approximately 70% of U.S.-consumed edamame imported each year. A major barrier for growth of the U.S. edamame industry is an overall lack of varieties with adequate consumer acceptability and adaption to the U.S. climate and environment. In this study, we evaluated eleven vegetable soybean genotypes (including one commercial check) for differences in yield, pod size, and resistance to local insect, bacterial, and fungal pressures in order to identify genotypes with the greatest potential for use in commercial edamame production. Although there were variations in average pod length (42.1 - 53.6 mm), width (10.9 - 12.7 mm), and thickness (6.29 - 7.34 mm) among the genotypes, only pod length showed statistical significance. In addition, genotype significantly affected fresh pod yield. The prevalence of specific insect pests varied by location and year and included soybean aphid, potato leafhopper, Mexican bean beetle, as well as a complex of stink bugs and lepidopteran larvae. For each of these insect pests, significant differences were observed. Some plant diseases observed on the edamame genotypes included: downy mildew, bacterial pustule, Fusarium pod rot, Cercospora blight and purple seed stain, and damping off. In 2018, in Whitethorne, VA, soybean downy mildew was quite prevalent and disease symptoms varied considerably. Overall, genotypes V16-0524 and R15-10280 showed particularly favorable yield, and resilience to native pests compared to the commercial check, UA-Kirksey. The genotypes V16-0524 and R15-10280 showed strong potential to increase the availability of varieties that can be used for commercial edamame production in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Common Fertilizers Used in Virginia: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium
Reiter, Mark S. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2020)
This publication will summarize commonly used fertilizers in Virginia for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) (Table 2). Several fertilizer products have a range for nutrient concentrations, as raw products may vary. When possible, the most common form used in Virginia is presented. However, note that your local fertilizer dealers’ product may vary slightly and their label should be used instead of this document.
Common Fertilizers Used in Virginia: Secondary and Micronutrients
Reiter, Mark S. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2020)
This publication outlines some possible secondary macronutrient and micronutrient fertilizer sources
Consider Your Whole System: Nitrogen and Sulfur Leaching Potential in Virginia
Reiter, Mark S.; Frame, William Hunter; Thomason, Wade E. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2018-06-25)
Provides information about the leaching of nitrogen and sulfur from crop soils, and whether or not to fertilize these soils.
Conversion Factors Needed for Common Fertilizer Calculations
Reiter, Mark S. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2020)
Table which outlines some of the most common conversions needed for nutrient management calculations
Corn Fertility Update--Spring 2010
Reiter, Mark S.; Alley, Marcus M.; Thomason, Wade E.; Reiter, Scott (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2010)
This document offers advice on testing soil, and corn plant tissue to diagnose nutrient deficiencies.
Cover crop programs, termination methods and timings, and suppression mechanisms on weed growth and competition
Sias, Cynthia (Virginia Tech, 2024-01-04)
Herbicide resistance, regulations on pesticide use, and cost of pesticides are all challenges for managing weeds in production agriculture. The use of cover crops (CC) has emerged as a promising integrated weed management tool to aid in weed suppression. There are many questions concerning the best management practices to reap the most benefits from CC. Research was conducted to determine if the application of a pre-plant herbicide as well as the type of CC planted would increase CC biomass and subsequent winter weed suppression. Early planting and selecting a cereal rye or a cereal rye-containing mixture are the most important factors to obtain the greatest CC biomass production. Additionally, the combination of a CC and a pre-plant herbicide increased weed suppression compared to a no CC (winter fallow) treatment or CC without a pre-plant herbicide. The difference in Palmer amaranth emergence between a rolled cereal rye CC or one that is left standing was also examined along with termination timing to achieve different CC biomass levels. Overall, greater CC biomass suppressed more Palmer amaranth, but treatments of rolled or standing or termination timing did not affect weed suppression consistently. Light penetration data also showed that greater CC biomass led to a decrease in light penetration through the CC canopy, which could be a factor in reducing Palmer amaranth emergence particularly at the greater CC biomass accumulation levels. Additionally, studies were conducted to investigate the effect of cereal rye CC termination timing (i.e., "planting green" being CC terminated at the time of soybean planting or "planting brown" being CC terminated 2 weeks prior to planting) on Palmer amaranth suppression, as well as to determine how termination timing influences herbicide program optimization. A delay in emergence and growth rate of Palmer amaranth was documented in the CC containing plots when compared to the no CC plots, but no differences were observed between the termination timings. Additionally, significantly lower Palmer amaranth densities were observed under CC containing plots when compared to the no CC treatments. Within CC treatment options, the most economical option was planting green with a single postemergence herbicide application, but overall, no CC treatments were more economical programs. Finally, research was conducted to understand weed and corn competition for nitrogen when hairy vetch + cereal rye CC was present. A range of side dress nitrogen fertilizer rates, weedy versus weed free herbicide programs, and CC versus no-CC treatments were compared. Overall, yield did not differ among treatments. Ear leaf and grain nitrogen was generally greater under weed free, CC, and when fertilized at or above yield goals respective of location. Despite these findings, early season weed control in corn is still necessary to achieve maximum potential yield. These studies indicate that CC biomass is consistently the most important factor for achieving weed suppression, and that CC results can vary in response to environmental and management effects. More research is therefore necessary to evaluate the effects of CC over greater periods of time.
Cover crop termination options and application of remote sensing for evaluating termination efficiency
Kumar, Vipin; Singh, Vijay; Flessner, Michael L.; Haymaker, Joseph; Reiter, Mark S.; Mirsky, Steven B. (Public Library of Science, 2023-04-20)
Efficient termination of cover crops is an important component of cover crop management. Information on termination efficiency can help in devising management plans but estimating herbicide efficacy is a tedious task and potential remote sensing technologies and vegetative indices (VIs) have not been explored for this purpose. This study was designed to evaluate potential herbicide options for the termination of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), cereal rye (Secale cereale L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.), and rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), and to correlate different VIs with visible termination efficiency. Nine herbicides and one roller-crimping treatment were applied to each cover crop. Among different herbicides used, glyphosate, glyphosate + glufosinate, paraquat, and paraquat + metribuzin provided more than 95% termination for both wheat and cereal rye 28 days after treatment (DAT). For hairy vetch, 2,4-D + glufosinate and glyphosate + glufosinate, resulted in 99 and 98% termination efficiency, respectively, followed by 2,4-D + glyphosate and paraquat with 92% termination efficiency 28 DAT. No herbicide provided more than 90% termination of rapeseed and highest control was provided by paraquat (86%), 2,4-D + glufosinate (85%), and 2,4-D + glyphosate (85%). Roller-crimping (without herbicide application) did not provide effective termination of any cover crop with 41, 61, 49, and 43% termination for wheat, cereal rye, hairy vetch, and rapeseed, respectively. Among the VIs, Green Leaf Index had the highest Pearson correlation coefficient for wheat (r = -0.786, p = <0.0001) and cereal rye (r = -0.804, p = <0.0001) with visible termination efficiency rating. Whereas for rapeseed, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) had the highest correlation coefficient (r = -0.655, p = <0.0001). The study highlighted the need for tankmixing 2,4-D or glufosinate with glyphosate for termination instead of blanket application of glyphosate alone for all crops including rapeseed and other broadleaf cover crops.
Cover Cropping: A Strategy to Healthy Soil and Nitrogen Management in Corn
Pokhrel, Sapana (Virginia Tech, 2023-05-31)
Economic and environmental concerns surrounding nitrogen (N) have motivated efforts to improve estimates of plant available N in soil in order to improve crop N management decisions. Cover crops have been recognized as an effective tool for protecting soil and enhancing soil function including N cycling. This recognition has increased the adoption of cover cropping in the United States. Despite this growing popularity, there is lack of consistent response of cover crop on soil health and only a few experiments have examined how cover crop impacts nitrogen (N) management in corn. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: a) quantify the impacts of cover crops on various soil health indicators like permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), CO2 burst, autoclaved-citrate extractable (ACE)-soil protein, b) investigate the relationship between soil health indicators, soil nitrate (NO3-N) and ammonium (NH4-N), corn N requirement and corn yield, and c) study the decomposition and N release of different cover crops. In a comparison of cover crop treatments, there was a trend of increasing permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) and CO2 burst with cover crop compared to no-cover crop control in the short term (1 year). Additionally, CO2 burst values were significantly increased for a long-term site with cover crops compared to the control in both 2021 and 2022. A long-term cover crop study at 25 sites showed a weak relationship of CO2 burst, POXC, soil protein and NO3-N with agronomic optimum N rate (AONR), with r values ranging from 0.00 to 0.48, suggesting these indicators may not be reliable predictors of N available in soil and corn yield. However, there was significant relationship between NO3-N at N sidedress time and relative yield (r = 0.65) at these long-term sites. In short-term cover crop study (Chapter 1), Presidedress nitrate test (PSNT) nitrate concentration was >15 mg kg-1 at 5 sites and in long term cover crop study (Chapter 2), 15 sites had nitrate concentration > 15 mg kg-1 indicating potential of N sidedressing reduction when compared to current pre-sidedress N test (PSNT) N recommendation in Virginia, which is currently only recommended for sites receiving manure or biosolids. A cover crop decomposition study at Kentland showed that hairy vetch had a faster decomposition rate (k = 0.0377 g g-1 d-1) than rye and vetch mix (k = 0.0292 g g-1 d-1) or cereal rye (0.0227 g g-1 d-1) with 0 N fertilizer and released more N than cereal rye and rye and vetch mix. The difference in C: N ratio (hairy vetch (9-11:1), cereal rye (31-46:1), rye and vetch mix (19-20:1)) may have affected decomposition rate and N release of cover crops. Hairy vetch released significant amounts of N within a month of incubation, with 103 kg N ha-1 in 2021 and 57 kg N ha-1 in 2022. Overall, this study showed that cover crops did not have a consistent or significant effect on soil health indicators in short term. However, cover crops improved CO2 burst at long term cover crop site compared to no-cover, control. Future studies should focus on understanding best methods of predicting N available to subsequent crop and conduct cover crop decomposition studies across the state with different cover crop species and their mixture.
Cover crops as a weed seed bank management tool: A soil down review
Sias, Cynthia; Wolters, Bethany; Reiter, Mark S.; Flessner, Michael L. (2021-10)
This review explores ways that cover crops alter soil environmental conditions that can be used to decrease seed survival, maintain weed seed dormancy, and reduce germination cues, thus reducing above ground weed pressures. Cover crops are grown between cash crops in rotation, and their residues persist into subsequent crops, impacting weed seeds both during and after cover crops’ growth. Compared to no cover crop, cover crops may reduce weed seedling recruitment and density via (i) reducing soil temperature and fluctuations thereof, (ii) reducing light availability and altering light quality, and (iii) trapping nitrogen in the cover crop thus making it less soil-available to weeds. Cover crops may provide habitat for above- and below-ground fauna, resulting in increased weed seed predation. The allelopathic nature of some cover crops can also suppress weeds. But not all effects of cover crops discourage weeds, such as potentially increasing soil oxygen. Furthermore, cover crops can reduce soil moisture while actively growing but conserve soil moisture after termination, resulting in time-dependent effects. Similarly, decaying legume cover crops can release nitrogen into the soil, potentially aiding weeds. The multiplicity of cover crop species and mixtures, differing responses between weed species, environmental conditions and other factors hampers uniform recommendations and complicates management for producers. But, cover crops that are managed to maximize biomass, do not increase soil nitrogen, and are terminated at or after cash crop planting will have the greatest potential to attenuate the weed seed bank. There are still many questions to be answered, such as if targeting management efforts at the weed seed bank level is agronomically worthwhile. Future research on cover crops and weed management should include measurements of soil seed banks, including dormancy status, predation levels, and germination.
Cultivating Sustainability: Analyzing Soil Health Dynamics and Economics of Cover Crops in the Mid-Atlantic
Haymaker, Joseph R. (Virginia Tech, 2024-11-11)
This research investigated the long-term effects of transitioning from intensive tillage to no-till (NT) practices with cover crop (CC) incorporation on soil quality, agronomic performance, and economic returns in Virginia's Coastal Plain. Nine years after integrating NT practices and CCs, improvements in soil physical and chemical properties were observed, including a 22% to 65% increase in soil organic matter (SOM) in the top 5 cm, a 4% reduction in bulk density, and enhanced soil moisture retention in corn production. Timing of CC termination played a crucial role in optimizing biomass production and nutrient accumulation. Overall accumulation rates were 44.4 kg dry biomass ha-1 d-1, 1.22 kg N ha-1 d-1, 0.16 kg P ha-1 d-1, 1.36 kg K ha-1 d-1, and 0.08 kg S ha-1 d-1 of delayed termination between March 15 and April 30. Each additional day of cover crop growth contributed to a fertilizer value of $3.91 ha-1, highlighting the economic advantage of extending CC growth during this critical period. In 2023, CC effects on corn N fertilizer demand and yields were assessed by applying variable N rates of 0, 56, 112, and 168 kg N ha-1 at sidedressing. Greatest corn yields at each N rate were observed following hairy vetch and a vetch-dominant CC mix, which had low C:N ratios (≤12:1) and accumulated 134 to 186 kg N ha-1 in their aboveground biomass. Corn yields after these CCs were 8.5 to 9.3 Mg ha-1 at the zero N sidedressing rate, increasing to 10.8 to 11.3 Mg ha-1 at the 168 kg N ha-1 rate. However, increasing the N rate yielded minimal economic benefits for these treatments. Vetch treatments produced the highest net returns, with greater returns at lower N rates, as vetch generated an additional US$1,012 ha-1 at the zero N sidedressing rate compared to the no CC control. Conversely, cereal rye produced a negative net return across all N rates, with positive returns achievable only with state cost-share payments. The findings underscore the importance of adaptive N management strategies and policy adjustments to support environmentally and economically sustainable cover crop practices in corn production.
Dairy Pipeline, March 2020
Reiter, Mark S.; Ervin, Clara (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2020)
Poultry litter, poultry litter ash (co-products), inorganic fertilizers.

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