Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage
for Soil Erosion Control on Cropland
Forages after corn or small grains - Rotations in Established Crownvetch
Established crownvetch competes excessively with a new legume or legume-grass seeding unless the crownvetch is severely suppressed before seeding. Corn usually provides sufficient suppression of crownvetch to allow a new legume or legume-grass seeding afterwards. When following small grains however, additional crownvetch suppression may be necessary by min-tillage, harvesting, grazing, or application of Roundup, Touchdown or Gramoxone Max.
After the newly interseeded legume or grass reaches the second- or third-leaf stage, apply 2,4-DB to suppress crownvetch further and to control seedling broadleaved weeds (Table 8). Manage the forage mixture according to the dominant species, ignoring the presence of crownvetch. You may use any herbicide labeled for the forage mixture without fear of losing the crownvetch. Crownvetch persists throughout the life of the forage stand and will still be there, although in minimum amounts when the field is rotated back to corn.