Diverse and Intensive Cover Crops for Improving Soils and Crop Rotations

The purpose of this award was for VA Tech and project partners to demonstrate and evaluate the benefits and challenges in transitioning eastern Virginia cropland from traditional low biomass/low residue systems to conservation farming systems with alternative/diverse cash crops and diverse/high-residue cover crops. The specific objectives of this project were: (1) Continue (at Eastern Shore AREC) and initiate (at Tidewater AREC) on Virginia Tech research stations replicated and randomized multi-year cover crop and crop rotation studies focused on demonstrating and evaluating innovative conservation farming methods and soil improvement strategies; (2) Demonstrate innovative cash and cover crop sequences and species, such as summer cover crops and alternative cash crops, such as rape/canola, and evaluate their impact on cropping system productivity and efficiency (yields, pest issues, etc.) as well as selected soil chemical, physical, and biological parameters, and (3) Disseminate project results and lessons learned to a wide range of audiences, including growers, crop advisors, and government personnel.