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Comparative Nutritional Quality of Winter Crops for Silage

ID

DASC-93P

Authors as Published

G. Ferreira, Assistant Professor, Dairy Science, Virginia Tech; A.N. Brown, Ph.D. Candidate, Dairy Science, Virginia Tech; W.E. Thomason, Professor, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech; C.D. Teutsch, Associate Professor, Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech


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Cover crops are planted to increase the health and fertility of soils and to benefit the surrounding environment (SARE 2007). By covering the soil
surface, cover crops reduce soil erosion caused by rainfall events, water runoff, wind, or their combinations. The mulch like cover provided by cover crops also limits the access of light, thereby inhibiting or slowing the growth of weeds. Another benefit of cover crops is that the root system increases pore formation, which increases water infiltration and soil aeration and reduces soil compaction.


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Publication Date

February 7, 2022