Coordinating agronomist: Camille Dumont
Organization: Groupe ProConseil
Practice: Cover crops
Barrier: Adding cover crops in a corn rotation can be challenging due to the short post-harvest growth window, wet conditions at seeding time that can result in compaction, and limited access to specialised equipment. Drone seeding into standing corn offers a quick and potentially more affordable alternative, but this practice is still new in the region. It is therefore necessary to document methods, timing, and seeding rates in order to identify effective and cost-efficient approaches that promote reliable establishment and improvements in soil health.
Description: Four farms will participate in this trial. One farm will compare 1) 10kg/ha of broadcast Italian ryegrass at the same time as nitrogen sidedress application into corn, with 2) Italian ryegrass drone-seeded preharvest at 25 kg/ha, and 3) a no cover crop control. The other farms will drone-seed radish or winter canola pre-corn harvest at 15 kg/ha and 25 kg/ha, compared to a no cover crop control. Corn yield, cover crop growth, and soil structure data will be collected, and an economic comparison conducted.