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Are Cover Crops Negatively Impacting Row Crops?

Are Cover Crops Negatively Impacting Row Crops?

Winter cover crops benefit soil health and can suppress weeds in subsequent row crops but may also lead to lower yields. Some farmers and agronomists speculate that allelopathic chemicals released by cover crops may be the cause for some of the observed yield reductions, but cause-and-effect relationships are rarely established. We know that allelopathic cover crops inhibit weed seed germination and early growth, but do they also impact row crops?

In an article recently published in Agricultural & Environmental Letters, a publication of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America, researchers reviewed literature documenting effects of allelopathic winter cover crops on four row crops. Studies that used known allelochemicals in the lab or measured allelochemicals in the field were included.

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SaskAgToday.com Roundtable: China hits Canada with canola seed tariffs

Video: SaskAgToday.com Roundtable: China hits Canada with canola seed tariffs

The big story this week was China placing a 75.8 per cent anti-dumping duty on Canadian canola seed imports.

While China claims the duty is temporary - pending the conclusion of its anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola next month - many are calling on the federal government to take the lead and get the tariffs removed. The SaskAgToday.com Roundtable discusses what farm groups, and politicians, have been saying.

Also, the panel highlights a grand opening of Grain Millers flax processing facility, limited harvest progress in Saskatchewan due to widespread rain, and the Grain Growers of Canada on its second annual Summer Tour.