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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409974
Research Project: Improving Sustainability of Dairy and Forage Production Systems for the Upper Midwest

Location: Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research

Title: Can sunnhemp intercropping with corn improve yield, nitrogen cycling, and nematode control?

Author
item SIMILI, FLAVIA - University Of Florida
item DUBEUX, JOSE - University Of Florida
item DANTAS, LUANA - University Of Florida
item BIZZUTI-CREMOSTIM, BEATRIZ - University Of Florida
item BRETAS, IGOR - University Of Florida
item LIRA, MARIO - University Of Florida
item REIS, RAFAEL - University Of Florida
item PORTUGUEZ, JAVIER - University Of Florida
item TRUMPP, KEVIN - University Of Florida
item RUIZ-MORENO, MARTIN - University Of Florida
item Jaramillo, David
item BERNARDINI, MARILIA - University Of Florida

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/29/2023
Publication Date: 10/29/2023
Citation: Simili, F., Dubeux, J., Dantas, L., Bizzuti-Cremostim, B., Bretas, I., Lira, M., Reis, R., Portuguez, J., Trumpp, K., Ruiz-Moreno, M., Jaramillo, D.M., Bernardini, M. 2023. Can sunnhemp intercropping with corn improve yield, nitrogen cycling, and nematode control?. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. ASA-CSSA-ASSA Meeting, St. Louis, MO, Oct. 29- Nov. 2, 2023.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Corn is an important global crop for production of grain and silage for livestock systems, however corn requires high quantities of N fertilizer inputs for sustaining productivity. Introducing legumes can be a strategy for reducing N fertilizer inputs into corn cropping systems, and sunnhemp (SH) (Crotalaria juncea L.) may be an option. We evaluated the forage accumulation (FA), N cycling, and nematode control using SH intercropping with corn, using five treatments: SH monoculture (SH), Corn monoculture without fertilizer (Corn-N), Corn monoculture with 225 kg N ha-1 (Corn+N), Corn+SH planted at the same day (SH_0W), Corn+SH planted 4 weeks after corn (SH_4W). Both treatments with SH received 137.5 kg N ha-1. 15N enriched urea was used to evaluate N dynamics and biological N2-fixation. Corn+N had the greatest FA (16,893 kg DM ha-1). N concentration was greater for Corn+N (11.4 g kg-1) than Corn-N (7.9 g kg-1). N concentration was similar across SH (average 16.9 g kg-1). Nitrogen derived from atmosphere (Ndfa) did not differ between SH (680 g kg-1), SH_4W (460 g kg-1), and SH_0W (260 g kg-1), but SH fixed more N when growing in monoculture (87 kg N ha-1) than intercropping with corn (average 15 kg N ha-1), likely due to greater SH plant population in monoculture, and N fertilizer applied in the intercropped system. N recovery was not different between Corn+N (661 g kg-1), SH_4W (442 g kg-1), and SH_0W (452 g kg-1). The SH monoculture fixed 87 kg N ha-1, while SH_4W and SH_0W fixed 20 and 11 kg N ha-1, respectively. We concluded that SH may partially substitute N fertilizer for corn silage production, but further studies are required to assess management strategies to ensure adequate productivity.