lec 10

Question 1

what is a cover crop? what are their purposes?

Answer 1

crop that is grown to protect/improve the soil rather than to be harvested. protects against soil degradation, weeds, pests

also acts as ‘green manures’ which naturally return nutrients to the soil when they die

Question 2

what is erthanomisces?

Answer 2

problematic fungi that fucks w peas

Question 3

what is the difference between a shoulder cover crop and a full season cover crop?

Answer 3

shoulder crops are grown after the main crop to prep the soil for next year, while full year crops are grown all year round

Question 4

why may a livestock farmer keep cover crops?

Answer 4

when the main crop has been harvested, livestock can be released into the fields to feed –> an investment

Question 5

what are the most common cover crops?

Answer 5

clover #1, but also oats, peas, and hairy vetch

Question 6

what are the benefits of cover crops?

Answer 6

reducing soil erosion, incr water filtration, suppress pest and weeds, fix N and reduce fertilizer reqs

Question 7

what is OFCAF?

Answer 7

on farm climate action fund: a fund by government to push cover crops + provide grants for it

Question 8

what are some various ways to classify cover crops?

Answer 8

• length of life: annual, biennial, perennial
• season: cool or warm season
• winter survivability: over winter (dies in winter, revives in spring), not overwinter (dies in winter)

Question 9

what is the general formula for a cover crop mixture?

Answer 9

grass + legume + broadleaf/forb

Question 10

what are some cold season vs warm season legumes?

Answer 10

cold: field pea, faba bean, berseem clover, red clover, alfalfa

warm: cowpeas, soybeans, adzuki beans

Question 11

what are the best cover crops for saline areas?

Answer 11

barley, sugarbeet, camelina, sorghum

Question 12

why would someone grow large root cover crops? what are some ex?

Answer 12

big roots manage compact soil well (compact soil is bad)

ex. incl radish, turnip, sugar beet, pasja, mangle

Question 13

what makes ryegrass a bad cover crop?

Answer 13

allelopathic - exudes shit that prevents plants nearby from germinating when it dies

ryegrass rhymes with DIEgrass

Question 14

considering summer and winter niche, what should i look for?

Answer 14

summer niche: outstanding performer - C4 grasses with higher growth

winter niche: survivability - rye

Question 15

what makes storms so bad?

Answer 15

think of a single rain drop and all the potential energy that gets converted to kinetic when it hits a plant. multiply that by the number of raindrops in a rainstorm. remember that plants are more fragile. boom

Question 16

what are short term vs long term goals of cover crops?

Answer 16

short term: basically anything to do w keeping the soil strong (soil rooting, N fixing, etc)

long term: anything to do w long term survival (biodiversity, pollination, weed management, etc)

Question 17

how are nitrate leaching and chemical surface runoff bad? how do cover crops combat this?

Answer 17

cover crops take up N and water, reducing nitrate leaching

Question 18

how are cover crops beneficial internally to the farm?

Answer 18

protects the farm

more organic soil matter, suppresses weeds (less herbicides needed)

Question 19

how do cover crops affect field capacity and plant available water?

Answer 19

FC: amt of moisture the soil profile can hold
PAW: amt of water in the soil that plants can access

cover crops had higher of both

Question 20

what are some disadvantages of cover crops?

Answer 20

increased direct costs of planting cover crops, takes more investment to grow everything (reduces net income)