Evaluation of Rapeseed as a Winter Cover Crop in South Georgia: Final Report.

摘要

A study was initiated to evaluate several varieties of rapeseed (Westar, Dwarf Essex and Cascade) as a potential winter cover crop and energy source in south Georgia. Seed yields, biomass yields, canopy cover, leaf area index, stand counts and plant heights were evaluated by three different planting dates in two seasons to determine if these rapeseed varieties can produce reasonable yields and also supply the needed canopy cover to reduce the erosion potential of south Georgia soils. The spring variety (Westar) has the highest yield followed by the winter variety of Cascade. Dwarf Essex (winter variety) had insufficient vernalization time to produce reasonable yields. It appears that the earliest planting date (about October 10) may provide the best combination of yield and winter cover based on the three planting dates evaluated. Westar has the earliest harvest dates in the two years of this study and appears to have the greatest flexibility for double-cropping in south Georgia. Additional research is required to evaluate the long-term validity of these results since the time period of this study was very short. 10 refs., 22 figs., 2 tabs. (ERA citation 13:053386)