2021
Influence of Cover Crops and Soil Health on Soybean
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Contributor/Checkoff:
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Field management Nutrient managementSoil healthTillageYield trials
Parent Project:
Double-cropped soybeans vs cover-cropped soybean - which is more profitable
Lead Principal Investigator:
Trenton Roberts, University of Arkansas
Co-Principal Investigators:
Jeremy Ross, University of Arkansas
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board
$50,000
Institution Funded:
University of Arkansas
$50,000
Brief Project Summary:

Cover crops are promoted as a valuable practice to reduce erosion and nutrient loss while improving soil health. Incorporating this practice into current production systems can be challenging. Farmers want to know if they can successfully implement cover crops, how they impact soybean yield, and if the practice supports their profitability. This project is collecting and analyzing data to provide both short-term and long-term answers to those questions. At locations around the state, seven different cover crop species are planted in the fall. These treatments are compared to traditional winter fallow. Yield, economic return and soil health data helps identify trends over time.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, Extension agents

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

Data will be collected annually and compiled over time to compare the short-term and long-term effects of winter cover crop species selection. It may take several years for these systems to reach equilibrium due to the changes of both cover cropping and no-till management practices. Our goal is to monitor these changes to help aid producers in nutrient management for soybean through the implementation of cover crops into a corn soybean rotation and explain performance of the overall field system by describing diseases and indicators of soil health such as soil microbial communities and soil physical properties. Results will be reported each year at county and regional meetings and in the refereed scientific literature at the completion of the study.

Final Project Results

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.