Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage for Soil Erosion Control on Cropland

Table of Contents

Small grains after corn — Rotations in Established Crownvetch

Most weeds should be under control after a year or more of corn in crownvetch. Herbicide residues should not be a problem if treatments recommended in Table 4 were used the year before rotation to a small grain. If weeds were not controlled adequately in corn, use glyphosate (Roundup or Touchdown) at 1 to 2 pints per acre to control annual and perennial weeds before small grain seeding. Roundup or Touchdown should also be used in fall to control perennial weeds before spring oat seeding.

Birdsfoot trefoil and crownvetch (well established) will tolerate up to 1 quart/acre of Roundup or Touchdown. Once the small grain is seeded, use any of the treatments in Table 7 for normal weed control and suppression of birdsfoot trefoil or crownvetch. One of these treatments will almost always be needed to suppress the crownvetch if small grains are planted no-till without a preplanting treatment of Roundup or Touchdown; otherwise, crownvetch will overtop the small grain before harvest. If the small grain is harvested for forage, excessive growth of crownvetch is highly desirable because it contributes protein to the mixture.