Cover crop planting method comparison
Flown by John Scott, Digital Agriculture Extension Coordinator, Purdue Extension
Different cover crop application methods and timing of those applications were evaluated at Ivy Tech in Lafayette, IN. Cover crop treatments are highlighted from right to left which corresponds to planting time. The cereal rye and hairy vetch cover crops on the right side of the image was interseeded into corn at a growth stage of about V4-V5 in June. The cover crop in the second section from the right was seeded using the DJI Agras at a rate of 70 pounds of cereal rye per acre in mid-September. Half of the plot was a cereal rye and hairy vetch mixture, and the other half was cereal rye and crimson clover. The next section was not planted with any cover crop and winter annuals can be seen in the image. The last section on the left was drilled with cereal rye and hairy vetch immediately after harvest (late October). The UAV applied cover crop did not produce more biomass than the interseeded plot on the far right but was superior to the post-harvest planting.