Brassica Cover Crop Variety Trial Rose Lake Plant Materials Center Bath, MI August 13-Nov. 11, 2010
Dec 17, 2015
Brassica Cover Crop Variety Trial
Rose Lake Plant Materials CenterBath, MI
August 13-Nov. 11, 2010
Disclaimers
This was a one year study.The weather was unusually favorable.Sample sizes were not large (the sample
quadrat was 2 ft².Variability and LSDs tended to be high.When data are presented, even if only some
of the selections are covered the statistics were run on all 20 selections.
About the Site…
100 miles from Lakes Erie, Michigan, and Huron
About 30” of precipitation spaced evenly over the year
Moderate to well draining black sand
Rose Lake Plots
Photo by Rose Lake NRCS PMC
Photo by Rose Lake NRCS PMC
Brassica Selections
Radishes: Groundhog Defender Tillage Radish Daikon VNS Lot# LMR6 4 Daikon Midwood Daikon Nema Common Driller Experimental Radishes: GS 733, IR 14, NZS, MBS, LITH, ‐ ‐
COL
Forage Turnips: Pasja Appin
Mustards: Pacific Gold Ida Gold Accent Brown
Rapeseed: Dwarf Essex
Planting
Planting: Aug. 13, 2010 Seeding rates:
Radishes 10 lb/A Mustards 8 lb/A Turnip 2 lb/A Rapeseed 5 lb/A
% Cover (Oct. 12)
OSR Groundhog OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema Common
OSR Driller Tillage Radish0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
% S
oil C
over
*Using ANOVA, there were no statistically significant differences in % soil cover.
% Cover
Tillage Radish‘Defender’
Biomass (tons/A) (Oct. 12)
OSR Groundhog
OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema
Common
OSR Driller Tillage Radish0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8Above Ground
Below Ground
Dry
Bio
mas
s (t
ons/
A)
abcdeabcdeabcde
abcd
cde
e
bcde
abcde
bcde
abcd
OSR ‘Groundhog’ OSR Daikon Nema Common
OSR Driller
Tillage Radish
OSR ‘Defender’
Biomass (tons/A) (Oct. 12)
OSR Groundhog OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema Common
OSR Driller Tillage Radish0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Dry
bio
mas
s (t
ons/
A)
abc
bcd
cd
abcd
abc
Tillage RadishOSR ‘Defender’
Nitrogen Accumulation (lbs/A)
OSR Groundhog
OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema
Common
OSR Driller Tillage Radish0
20
40
60
80
100Below Ground Biomass
Above Ground Biomass
N (l
bs/A
)
N (lbs/A)
OSR Groundhog
OSR Defender OSR Daikon Nema
Common
OSR Driller Tillage Radish0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Tota
l N (l
bs/A
)
Flowering Brassica Cover Crop % of Plots in Flower (out of 4) on
Oct. 12, 2010
OSR Groundhog 0OSR Defender 0OSR Daikon Nema Common 100OSR Driller 0Tillage Radish 0
Flowering
Of these five radish selections, OSR Daikon Nema Common was the earliest to flower. No selection of the total 20 set seed.
Winter KillAs of Nov. 10, 2010, the Brassicas had yet to die off (though some were showing cold stress symptoms). By that date there was at least one hard frost and several lighter frosts.
OSR Daikon Nema Common
Photo by J. Durling, Rose Lake NRCS PMC.
Photo by J. Durling, Rose Lake NRCS PMC
Photo by J. Durling, Rose Lake NRCS PMC
November 10, 2010
Pollinators! In November! On a mustard.