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NEMO | Mineralization needs warm temps, moisture and not to much, and air. This can vary from year to year and month to month due to extreme weather changes. To me, I don't worry to much about how fast or when it becomes available. Residues breaking down and building OM is like putting money in the bank, some years you will add to the account and some years you will make withdrawals. This is one of the many reasons I go out of my way to get something growing after the cash crop is harvested as I want to add to my bank account. If a wet fall prevents this, then I will withdraw some from my bank. There are many variables that will let residue be available when you want it. Take the soils that we have in our area for instance. We would use frost seeded clover after wheat or rye cut for grain to build N for next years corn. Clover was killed in fall with P&K added and aerated and no-tilled into corn the following year. Corn always had a poor stand and color with heavy weed problems in this rotation compared to corn no-tilled into winter rye seeded after soybeans. The latter scheme would beat the clover corn from 20 to 30 bushel. We still wanted the clover in the rotation though. So what we did was fall kill the clover, no-till soybeans in spring, harvest, broadcast winter rye and P&K and run Aerway over it to incorporate. What we found is that the heavy wheat stubble was not breaking down fast enough and the applied N was tied up when we needed it. Did not matter to soybeans but matters to the corn. I might add that this is tight orange clay soils that are good for road and pond dam building. We have been told for years to not do beans after clover as there would be all sorts of problems. Beans were always as good as beans following corn with good nodulation. I also think that many people are going to be fooled by expecting to much out of very short term covers such as radishes and clovers after harvest unless they can harvest early and have longer growing season in the fall. Do not let this discourage you though as covers are the way to go to increase OM. Life is a learning experience and so are covers and the way they breakdown and release there nutrients. | |
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mineralization of old crop.
