estimating plant-available nitrogen release from cover crops.pdfVIP

Archival copy. For current version, see: /pnw636 PNW 636 • November 2012 Estimating plant-availablE nitrogEn rElEasE from covEr crops D.M. Sullivan and N.D. Andrews HigHligHts n Legume cover crops provide up to 100 lb PAN/a. To maximize PAN contribution from legumes, kill the cover crop at bud stage (early May). n Cereal cover crops immobilize up to 50 lb PAN/a. To minimize PAN immobilization from cereals, kill the cover crop during the early stem elongation (jointing) growth stage (early April). n Legume/cereal cover crop mixtures provide a wide range of PAN contributions, depending on legume content. When cover crop dry matter is 75 percent from cereals + 25 percent from legumes, PAN is usually near zero. n A laboratory analysis for cover crop total N as a percentage in dry matter (DM) is a good predictor of a cover crop’s capacity to release PAN for the summer crop. — When cover crops contain a low N percentage (less than 1.5 percent N in DM), they provide little or no PAN. — When cover crops contain a high N percentage (3.5 percent N in DM), they provide approxi- mately 35 lb PAN/ton of dry matter. — PAN release increases linearly, as cover crop N percentage (in DM) increases from 1.5 to 3.5 percent. n Cover crops decompose rapidly and release or immobilize PAN rapidly. Most PAN is released in 4 to 6 weeks after cover crop kill. n PAN from legume cover crops is usually much less expensive than PAN from organic fertilizers. n Values for cover crop PAN listed here are most applicable to winter cover crop/summe