In a Nutshell
Cereal rye, oats and other small grains grass species have been proven as effective cover crops in corn-soybean systems in Iowa. Cooperators screened grass, legume and brassica species for fall and spring groundcover in hand-seeded plots (7.5’ x 25’) across the state.
Key findings
Cereal rye remains the most consistent cover crop providing fall groundcover, overwintering capability and spring groundcover across locations. Brassicas generally produced as much fall ground cover as the small grains grasses in the present iteration of the trial. Hairy vetch and radish performed better than in past iterations, likely due to exceptional growing conditions.