Abstract
Fallow Replacement Crop (Cover Crops, Annual Forages, and Short-Season Grain Crops) Effects on Wheat and Grain Sorghum Yields
Highlights
Interest in replacing fallow with a cash crop or cover crop has necessitated research on soil, water, and wheat yields following a shortened fallow period
Benefits of growing a cover crop were shown in high rainfall areas, but limited information is available on growing cover crops in place of fallow in the semiarid Great Plains
Growing a cover or hay crop until June 1 affected wheat less than if a winter or spring crop were grown for grain, which utilized the land until approximately the first week of July
Summary
Growing a crop during the fallow period would increase profitability if crop benefits exceeded expenses. A study was conducted from 2007–2017 that evaluated cover crops, annual forages, and short season grain crops grown in place of fallow. The second experiment (2012-2017) rotation was no-tillage wheat-grain sorghum-fallow. Wheat yield following the previous crop was dependent on precipitation during fallow and the growing season. The length of the fallow period affected yields of the following wheat crop. Cover crops did not improve wheat or grain sorghum yields compared to fallow. The benefits of growing a cover crop during the fallow period must be greater than the expense of growing it and must compensate for any negative yield impacts on the subsequent crop. The negative effects on wheat yields might be minimized with flex-fallow, which is the concept of only growing a crop in place of fallow in years when soil moisture at planting and precipitation outlook are favorable at the time of making the decision to plant
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