Diverse annual plantings and their contribution to forage yield and soil improvement
Date
2014-03-11
Authors
Bainard, J.D.
Schellenberg, M.
Lamb, E.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Presentation
Degree Level
Abstract
Multi-species plantings, also known as polycultures, are expected to have several ecosystem benefits based on the varying contributions from different plants. Potential benefits include increased nutrient cycling, increased soil moisture retention, increased forage yield, decreased soil compaction, and decreased weed communities. Local Saskatchewan producers and groups have implemented multi-species plantings with great success, and this project attempts to build on this anecdotal evidence to not only quantify the impact of polycultures, but to also determine what makes a mixture more or less effective in a particular environment. Our preliminary results suggest that increased crop species richness and functional group richness have many benefits including increased biomass production and decreased weed and insect abundance.
Description
Keywords
polyculture, intercropping, cover crops, forage, sustainable agriculture
Citation
Degree
Department
Program
Advisor
Committee
Citation
Part Of
Soils and Crops Workshop