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    Integrating Faba Bean (Vicia faba Roth) into Cropping Systems as a Cover Crop, Intercrop, and Late-Season Forage Compared with Other Legume Cover Crops in the Upper Midwest
    (North Dakota State University, 2019) Andersen, Bryce James
    Faba bean (Vicia faba Roth) is grown worldwide as a protein source for food, used for animal feed, and is a common cover crop in Europe, but is underutilized in Midwest farming systems. Faba bean, field pea (Pisum sativum L.), and forage pea were evaluated for biomass and chemical composition when sown after wheat. Faba bean, forage pea, balansa clover (Trifolium michelanium Savi), red clover (T. pratense L.), and rye (Secale cereale L.) were evaluated similarly when intersown into maize. Cover crops after wheat had no significant biomass differences, averaging 1210 kg ha-1, enough to support 1.5 animal unit month (AUM) ha-1 for a 450 kg cow with calf. Rye yielded the greatest (374 kg ha-1) of the intercrops with faba bean averaging similarly and other intercrops averaging significantly less. Intercrops did not affect maize yield. Faba bean has similar potential as other commonly used cover crops in the Midwest.
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    Factors Affecting Establishment and Growth of Cover Crops in a Corn-Soybean Rotation
    (North Dakota State University, 2020) Schmitt, Mattie Bree
    In the Midwest, it can be beneficial to interseed cover crops into corn (Zea mays L.) since there is a limited time for them to establish and grow after corn harvest. Research conducted in four environments in North Dakota quantified the impacts of planting method and time of planting when grown with or without corn competition on the establishment, and development of three cover crop species. Limited light intensity (less than 20%) under the corn canopy drastically reduced cover crop development. Soil water can also constrain cover crop establishment. Model simulations suggest soil water is more limiting for cover crop establishment in August compared with June or July. Interseeded cover crops had no effect on corn yield or the following soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.] crop due to minimal amounts of biomass produced.
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    Intersowing Cover Crops Into Standing Soybean in the Upper Midwest
    (North Dakota State University, 2019) Peterson, Alan Tollof
    In order to reduce nutrient losses and soil erosion in the United States Upper Midwest following soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], cover crops can be intersown into standing soybean. The objective of this study was to determine the establishment of intersown cover crops and their impacts on a soybean-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation. Four cover crops, winter camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz], winter pea [Pisum sativum ssp. arvense (L.) Poir], winter rye (Secale cereale L.), and radish (Raphanus sativus L.), were directly sown into the ground at the R4 and R6 stages of soybean at two locations, Prosper and Fargo, ND in 2016-2018. Results indicated intersowing cover crops have no impact on soybean yield, can produce above ground biomass which ranged from 0.44 to 3.04 Mg ha-1, and show potential to mitigate soil nitrate losses in areas that grow soybean as a cash crop.