Grazing cover crops in continuous corn production in east‐central Mississippi

Abstract

AbstractCover crop grazing can be used as a strategy to meet nutritional requirements for livestock while simultaneously enhancing soil ecosystem services without sacrificing subsequent crop yield. Field research was conducted in east‐central Mississippi from 2019 to 2021 on a sandy loam soil to assess the impacts that grazing, tillage, and cover crop species had on corn (Zea mays L.) grain yield and soil characteristics. The main plot was grazed (G) and un‐grazed (UG) cover crops, tillage (conventional and no‐till [NT]) was the subplot, and cover crop species the sub‐subplots. Cover crops were grazed using beef (Bos taurus) heifers at a stocking density of approximately 3300 kg ha−1 each growing season as forage mass (FM) allowed. No differences were observed in FM among cover crop treatments; however, FM, crude protein (CP), and total digestible nutrients (TDN) were affected by tillage and grazing. Corn grain yield was unaffected by grazing or tillage but was impacted by cover crop treatment. Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.; 11.99 Mg ha−1), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.; 11.67 Mg ha−1), and cereal rye + radish (Raphanus sativus L.; 12.07 Mg ha−1) had greater grain yield compared to the un‐planted control (10.99 Mg ha−1). The combination of G × no‐till (NT) resulted in greater penetration resistance (71.07 J); however, G plots contributed to greater organic matter(OM) concentrations. Overall, our data suggest that complimenting G and NT practices does not impact subsequent corn grain yield and could add value to cover cropping systems.