In a Nutshell
Cereal rye, oats and other cool-season, small grains grass species have been proven as effective cover crops in Iowa crop production systems. Cooperators screened pure seedings and mixtures of grass, legume and brassica cover crops for ground cover and aboveground biomass production in small, hand-seeded plots across the state.
Key Findings
- Cereal rye and mustard tended to produce the most amount of fall ground cover.
- Cereal rye and field pennycress were the only entries to consistently overwinter and produce spring growth.
- Field pennycress may be a good option for those in corn-soybean systems looking to add diversity to their practice of cover cropping.