Coordinating agronomist: Emily Ford
Organization: Quattro Farms
Practice: Cover crops
Trial started: Fall 2026
Barrier: Barriers to adopting multispecies cover crops in southern Alberta’s irrigated potato systems include a lack of regionally relevant, field-scale data addressing growers’ concerns about logistics, timing (short September planting window), nitrogen dynamics (nitrogen immobilization or unpredictable nitrogen release), and crop rotation compatibility.
Description: To evaluate the feasibility and benefits of establishing non-brassica cover crops after cereal harvest, this trial will compare two treatments: standard practice with no fall cover crop, and a multi-species oat–phacelia–crimson clover–sunflower mix selected to avoid rotation issues with sugar beets and seed canola. Treatments will be implemented as replicated (three reps) full-scale strips on a commercial pivot field to ensure real-farm relevance. The cover crop biomass, ground cover, and species composition will be assessed, as well as fall and spring soil nitrate levels. The emergence and plant counts from the following potato crop (planted after the terminated cover crop) will be measured, along with potato yield, grade, specific gravity, and cull rates at harvest. An economic assessment will also be conducted. The project will generate practical, region-specific, field-scale evidence to guide growers in making informed decisions about adopting rotation-safe cover crops within intensive irrigated potato systems.