Initial Effect of Cover Crop Species and Seeding Rate on Texas Dryland Cotton Production

Selecting an appropriate cover crop species is the first step toward a successful conservation program. Recommended seeding rates for several cover crops species are equivalent or greater than seeding rates when used as a harvested grain crop. This begs the question if these elevated seeding rates are necessary and if reduced seeding rates can provide similar soil and plant health benefits. In addition, seed costs can rapidly increase for legume species as seeding rate increases. We evaluated four cover crop species (rye, hairy vetch, Austrian winter pea, winter lentil) at four seeding rates (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 1.5x) to quantify cover crop biomass production, soil health, and cotton production. This study has been conducted for two years. Initial data indicate that 0.5x seeding rates can provide optimal cover crop biomass production.