Using cover crop mulches in pumpkin production.

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Using cover crop mulches in pumpkin production.

• Christian A. Wyenandt
• Dept. of Plant Pathology
• Ohio State University

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Objectives

• Evaluating the use of fall-sown (winter killed),
  spring-sown (living) and fall and spring-sown
  (herbicide killed) cover crops in commercial
  pumpkin production.
• Effect of cover crop mulches on yield, fruit
  quality and cleanliness, soil-borne disease
  development, and weed control.

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Why use cover crops?

• Add OM back to soil
• Reduce erosion
• Control weeds
• Conserve soil moisture
• Control soil-borne disease
• Increase fruit cleanliness/quality at harvest
• Not without their disadvantages

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Disadvantages of using cover crops

• Having field available in fall.
• Extra costs and labor needed.
• Chemicals will still need to be used.
• Longer production schedules.

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Fall-sown cover crops

• Winter Rye/Hairy Vetch still work best
• Spring Oat and Annual Medic although produce
  excellent ground coverage in fall, its not enough
  to last into and through next growing season (0
  ground cover _at_ pumpkin planting).
• Problems with Rye and Hairy Vetch
• Still searching for fall-sown winter-killed!

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Spring-sown cover crops

• Winter Rye/Hairy Vetch do very poorly!!
• Spring Oat and Annual Medic produce enough
  biomass, but annual medics compete with
  pumpkins2001 adopted strip tillage system with
  trickle irrigation.
• Will still need to incorporate weed control
  program, may have to watch for insects!

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Fall-sown Rye
Fall-sown HV
Fall-sown oat
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Fall-sown rye
Fall-sown oat
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Fall-sown rye
Spring-sown annual medic
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Cover crop treatments

• Bare Soil w/Fungicide
• Bare Soil w/o Fungicide
• Fall-sown Rye (90 lb/A)
• Fall-sown Rye (50 lb/A)
• Sp-sown Oat (110 lb/A)
• Sp-sown Annual Medics
• - Sephi (40 lb/A)
• - Polygraze (40 lb/A)
• Plots in Columbus, Fremont, Wooster,
• S. Charleston and 2 on-farm sites in Wayne
  Co.,OH.

Vegetable Crops Branch in Fremont, OH.
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What are Annual Medics?

• Legumes, related to alfalfa.
• True annuals
• Most complete life cycle in 65 100 days...
• Why we like them

Gary Bauchan, SARL
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Medicago truncatula Barrel Sephi
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Production Schedule

• Magic Lantern PM tolerant
• Admire incorporated _at_ planting
• Fungicide Program Quadris and Bravo/Nova
  rotation!
• Trickle Irrigation
• Sulfur-coated Urea
• Adopted strip tillage system

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Cover Crop Establishment

• Fall-sown winter rye Wheeler sown in early Nov.
  earlier is better!
• Spring-sown oat Armor and annual medics Sephi
  and Polygraze sown in early-May.
• Timing of establishment very important

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Cover crop kill

• Fall and Spring-sown Planting strips killed with
  Round-Up (8) in spring.
• Fall-sown rye and Sp. Oat killed with Round-Up
  prior to pumpkin planting.
• Both rolled flat.
• Cover crop will determine what herbicide to use

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Sp-sown oat
Sp-sown annual medic
Fall-sown rye