SARE 1999 Highlights

To Reduce Soil Compaction in One Season, Try Sudangrass

Visitors to Cornell University's research farm got a mole's eye view of sub-soil and the impact of cover crops on soil health. Photo by Jerry DeWitt

Compacted soils, common when farmers run heavy equipment during the wet Northeast spring planting season, can cause up to 70 percent yield reductions in cabbage and snap beans. SARE-funded researchers at New York's Cornell University tested a variety of cover crops to see which had deep root systems capable of breaking up compacted soil layers in vegetable systems. Of more than a dozen covers tested, sudangrass was most effective. While deep plowing may sometimes be necessary to remedy severe compaction, including cover crops like sudangrass in a rotation offers a better long-term solution. The study found average sweet corn yields were 45 percent higher in plots planted in sudangrass the previous summer compared to continuous corn. Such information intrigued extension staff and area growers attending conferences and workshops presenting project results. "Our data showing how sudangrass can be of value in breaking up compacted layers and improving soil structure has expanded the list of growers experimenting with this crop," says Cornell's David Wolfe. [For more information about this Northeast Region project, go to www.sare.org/projects/ and search for LNE94-044.]

Top