WHEAT IS THE third largest crop produced in the U.S. following corn and soybeans, but agriculture has always looked at wheat as specifically a cereal crop. What if it has the potential to help with soil management and sustainability goals, as well? “Fall-planted cereals are widely used as cover crops in the Midwest,” says Amir Sadeghpour, assistant professor of soil management and integrated cropping systems at Southern Illinois University. Sadeghpour asks: what if, instead of using a traditional cover crop, you sub- stitute different cereals, including wheat? His research centers around using various cereals as a cover crop for corn to secure more residual nitrogen. “Protecting soil and capturing residual nitrogen are among two of the main pur- poses for using cereals as cover crops,” Sadeghpour says. The Illinois Nutrient Reduction Strategy aims to reduce the phosphorus load by 25 percent and the nitrate- nitrogen load by 15 percent by 2025. Cover crops are a strategy that could help to achieve those goals. From his study, Sadeghpour looks to determine if his team can eliminate nitrogen immobilization that results from late cover crop termination. With proper nitrogen management, he thinks growers might be able to decrease corn’s yield loss following late-terminated cover crops. However, his study is just in the begin- ning stages. In its first year, the trials will con- tinue for two more years, and Sadeghpour hopes to expand to multiple sites. “We have multiple soil sampling rounds to track soil nitrogen,” he says. “We’ve tracked soil moisture and tem- perature, looked at the decomposition of cover crops when terminated early and late to assess nutrient release dynamics. “As we wrap up our first year, we will evaluate corn’s yield response to different nitrogen application rates in our trial.” With this research, Sadeghpour hopes to find a win-win solution that decreases While wheat is considered more of a cash crop, does it have the potential to be an effective cover crop? Alex Martin amartin@issuesink.com COVERING UP WITH WHEAT the environmental footprint while ensur- ing growers economic gain. While the SIU researcher tests the advantages and disadvantages of cereals as a cover crop for nitrogen manage- ment with corn, others have already been testing cereals to find their effectiveness. According to the Sustainable Agriculture 16 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2018 “There’s not just one way to achieve success with cover crops.” —Bert Strayer