Undersowing catch crops in cereals

{Tool} Undersowing catch crops in cereals. [Untersaat in Getreide.] Creator(s): Dierauer, Hansueli and Gelencsér, Tobias. Issuing Organisation(s): FiBL. (2018)

	PDF - English (Undersowing catch crops in cereals) 184kB
Preview	PDF - German/Deutsch (Untersaat in Getreide) 448kB

Document available online at: https://orgprints.org/33173/

Summary

• Higher yields in grass-clover leys due to earlier devel-opment
• Better establishment in dry summers
• Seamless transition from cereals to grass-clover ley without ploughing or other soil tillage.
• After a few weeks, the fully-grown ley can be used for cutting or grazing.
• Rather well suppressing of annual weeds
Practical recommendation
• In spring (March/April), between tillering and bolting of the cereal, the catch crop is undersown (pref-erable before a wet period, since the crop cannot be rolled.).
• The catch crop is best sown with a seeder for grass-clover in combination with a harrow passage.
• Several clover mixtures are possible; farms without livestock may also use only white or red clover.

Summary translation

• Höhere Kleegraserträge dank früher Entwicklung
• Bessere Etablierung bei Trockenheit im Sommer
• Lückenloser Übergang vom Getreide zum Kleegras
ohne Bodenbearbeitung („grüne Brücke“)
• Nutzung des Kleegrases schon nach wenigen Wochen
als Weide oder Wiese möglich
• Recht gute Unterdrückung einjähriger Unkräuter
Vorgehen
• Einsaat des Kleegrases im März/April zwischen Bestocken und Schossen des Getreides (möglichst vor einer Regenperiode, da nicht angewalzt werden kann).
• Am effizientesten mit dem Kleegrasstreuer in Kombination mit einem Striegeldurchgang
• Diverse Klee-Gras-Mischungen sind möglich; auf viehlosen Betrieben auch nur Weiss- oder Rotklee.

EPrint Type:	Practice tool
What problem does the tool address?:	Dry periods after harvesting cereals increase the difficulty of sowing a new ley. The tradition of sowing in July/August can therefore be risky.
What solution does the tool offer?:	Sowing a grass-clover ley into the cereal crop in March/April uses the soil moisture of winter for the establishment of the crop. In most cases, the sowing is successful. Under the shade of the cereal crop, the ley develops without becoming a competitor or interfering with the harvest. After removing the straw, the undersown crops quickly develop and form a close sward.
Country:	Switzerland
Type of Practice Tool:	Practice abstracts
Theme:	Soil quality and fertility, Weed management
Keywords:	catch crop, cereal crop, soil fertility, soil quality, undersowing, weed management
Subjects:	Soil > Soil quality Crop husbandry > Weed management
Research affiliation:	Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Crops > Arable crops > Cereals Switzerland > Staatssekretariat für Bildung und Forschung
Horizon Europe or H2020 Grant Agreement Number:	727247
Deposited By:	Basler, Andreas
ID Code:	33173
Deposited On:	11 May 2018 13:54
Last Modified:	15 Mar 2023 11:02
Document Language:	English, German/Deutsch
Status:	Published

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