Graduation Term

Summer 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Agriculture

Committee Chair

Rob Rhykerd

Committee Member

Nicholas Heller

Committee Member

Iuliia Tetteh

Abstract

Cover crops are being used to reduce nutrient runoff from agricultural fields and to mitigate climate change. However, cover crops may reduce summer cash crop yields and affect seed quality early in adoption. Therefore, this study evaluated soybean and corn yield, seed quality, and a cost-benefit analysis following cover crops.

This study was conducted at the Illinois State University Research Farm and the Western Illinois University Research Farm to evaluate the impact of selected cover crops on soybean and corn yields and seed quality. The experimental design was a randomized block design replicated four times. Cover crop treatments consisted of a pea-crimson clover-tillage radish-oat mix (PCRO), wild pennycress (WPC), golden pennycress (GPC), cereal rye (CR), annual ryegrass (AR), and a winter fallow (reference) plot. The summer cash crop was soybeans in 2023 and corn in 2024.

Seed quality was determined using a Near Infrared (NIR) Spectrometer. Soybeans planted following CR, PCRO, and AR had a significant reduction in plant populations, but showed no significant differences in soybean yield. The winter cover crops had no significant impact on soybean seed quality. For corn, results showed that some of the cover crops negatively impacted yield, protein, oil, and starch while plant population was not affected.

Furthermore, this study evaluated the economic returns of including selected winter cover crops in a soybean-corn rotation using the cost-benefit analysis method. WPC and GPC were found to be profitable, while PCRO, AR, and CR were not profitable to include in the crop rotation.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD.1763755359.109108

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Included in

Agriculture Commons

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