Does Planting Green Into a Rye Cover Crop Affect Corn Growth And Yield?

Apr 07, 2021

By Dr. Alison Robertson and Jyotsna Acharya

As more producers integrate cover crops into their operation, there has been increased interest in planting corn into a green or living cover crop, such as cereal rye, and terminating the cover crop after planting.

To help provide some insight into how “planting green” might affect corn growth and yield, we did an experimental field plot study comparing the effect of termination date of a winter cereal rye cover crop on growth, development, seedling disease and yield of corn in 2019 and 2020. This research project is being funded by USDA-NIFA through the Critical Agricultural Research and Extension program. Below is a summary of what we learned.

We looked at terminating the cereal rye cover crop 18 and 3 days before (DBP), and 6 and 12 days after planting (DAP) corn (Fig. 1.) Cereal rye biomass in 2020 was almost double that of 2019. In both years, corn seedlings were taller and shoot dry weight was less in the treatments where cereal rye was terminated after planting the corn (Table 1). In 2020, the corn seedlings in the treatments where cereal rye was terminated after planting the corn were approximately half a growth stage behind the no cover crop control and the treatments where cereal rye was terminated before planting. Radicle rot was more severe in the treatments where cereal rye was terminated after planting the corn compared to the remaining treatments. Yield was lowest when cereal rye was terminated 12 DAP corn.

field plots

Fig. 1. Photo of field plots to investigate the effect of planting corn into a green cereal rye cover crop near Boone, Iowa.

Table 1. Effect of termination treatments of a winter rye cover crop on corn seedling growth, root disease at growth stage V2 to V3, barren plants at R6, and yield in Iowa.

Effect of termination treatments

These data suggest that planting corn into a green cereal rye cover crop may contribute to seedling disease, and negatively affect corn growth, development and yield. To mitigate risk, we continue to recommend terminating a cereal rye cover crop 10 to 14 days before planting corn.

We are continuing to investigate the effect of planting green on corn. As part of this project, we are working with Practical Farmers of Iowa to collect on-farm data on planting green. In addition, Iowa is one of 15 states investigating the effect of planting green on weeds, insects, diseases, and corn development and yield from 2021 to 2023 as part of a USDA-NIFA CAP project being led by Steven Mirsky at USDA-ARS BARC, Maryland and Chris Reberg-Horton from North Carolina State University.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.