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The effects of grazing cover crops on animal performance, soil characteristics, and subsequent soybean production in east-central Mississippi

Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) incorporate cropping systems and livestock production by grazing cover crops. With a growing awareness in recent years regarding agricultural sustainability, these systems have begun to be re-introduced into the southeastern U.S. This study evaluated cover cropping systems under grazed no-till (GNT), un-grazed no-till (UNT), and un-grazed conventional tillage (UCT) management, in Mississippi. Beef cattle (Bos spp.) performance was significantly less in the cover crop treatment of oats (Avena sativa) + crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) + radish (Raphanus sativus; OCR) in both average daily gain (ADG; 3.03 lb hd-1 d-1) and total gain ac-1 (GAIN; 346 lb ac-1). Soybean (Glycine max) yield was unaffected by cover crop treatment and tillage. The lowest expected economic return was generated by OCR ($749.31 ac-1). Soil penetration resistance was unaffected by the influence of grazing. The greatest concentrations of soil organic carbon (1.44%) and soil nitrogen (0.20%) were observed in GNT.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-6344
Date10 December 2021
CreatorsBass, Bronson Scott
PublisherScholars Junction
Source SetsMississippi State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceTheses and Dissertations

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