Western SARE Grantee-Produced Info Product
Estimating Plant-Available Nitrogen Release from Cover Crops
This Oregon State University fact sheet explains the basics of plant-available nitrogen (PAN); when to kill cover crops for the maximum PAN benefit; step-by-step instructions on how to perform site-specific measurements to predict PAN from your cover crop; and case studies from the Willamette Valley about cover crop management, PAN and the value of cover crops as a nitrogen fertilizer substitute.
The field sampling approaches described in this fact sheet to determine cover crop N uptake are applicable to a wide variety of cropping systems. Information related to the timing of cover crop termination is applicable to western Oregon and western Washington. Equations used to predict PAN are expected to be applicable in most locations.
The authors of this fact sheet also developed an Excel-based calculator for estimating the nutrient value of organic fertilizers, cover crops, compost and synthetic fertilizers.
Want more information? See the related SARE grant(s) FW09-328, Increasing Grower Adoption of Adaptive Cover Cropping Systems: Effects on Vegetable Production and Nitrogen Cycling.
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Visit the website: Estimating Plant-Available Nitrogen Release from Cover Crops
Project products are developed as part of SARE grants. They are made available with support from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed within project products do not necessarily reflect the view of the SARE program or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
