Cover Crops

This bulletin is divided into three sections - disease and nematode control, insect control, and weed control. The recommendations are listed according to crop and then pest. In the table of recommendations given under each crop, the pesticide recommendations are given in units (pints, pounds, and so forth) of commercial products. In most cases, the amount of active ingredient to be applied is given. This information will be useful if the pesticide is commercially available at different concentrations. If a pesticide concentration differs from that recommended, determine the amount of a given formulation you need to use to apply the pesticide at the recommended rate. For example, if the recommended rate is 1 pound of active ingredient, then you should use 2 pounds of a 50 percent, wettable-powder formulation. If the formulation is a liquid, you must know the pounds of active ingredient per gallon to make this calculation.

Authors: Natalie Lounsbury - Ray Weil

A late August seeding of forage radish (Raphanus sativus L.) can eliminate the need for tillage before many early spring vegetable crops like spinach, beets, peas, onions, and even carrots under certain soil conditions in Maryland. In addition to reducing soil disturbance, not having to till prior to spring planting reduces labor requirements at a critical point in the season and may allow earlier planting. Forage radish, which winterkills when temperatures drop to 17-20°F, suppresses early spring weeds, allows soil to dry out and warm up, and provides an increased supply of N, S, P and other nutrients to crops in early spring. Because of the minimal amount of residue after forage radish, conventional planting equipment can effectively seed directly into the winterkilled cover crop without tillage. For early transplanted crops like onions, rows of radish can create holes into which transplants can be dropped. Experiment station results in Maryland and farmer trials throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeast have shown that this system requires a closed cover crop canopy in fall and may be ineffective in poorly structured, heavy soils. Authors: Natalie Lounsbury and Ray Weil; Title: No-Till Spring Vegetables After Forage Radish Cover Crop (FS-1134).