Hairy Vetch Kill Date Effects on Soil Water and Corn Production

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Abstract
Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) can fix N2 for subsequent release to a corn (Zea mays L.) crop, but kill date effects on vetch N accumulation, soil water, and subsequent corn production have not been studied. A hairy vetch cover crop can deplete soil water through transpiration, but cover crop mulches can conserve soil water for no‐till corn. In order to determine optimum spring kill date and corn fertilizer N (FN) rates, hairy vetch was killed early April, late April, or mid‐May, followed by three corn planting dates and four FN rates (0, 45, 135, and 202 kg N ha−1). From early April to mid‐May, hairy vetch aerial phytomass and N content increased significantly, from 2800 to 4630 and 96 to 149 kg ha−1, respectively. Corn grain yields ranged from 5.2 to 10.1 Mg ha−1 and were significantly greater following mid or late kill, compared with early kill of vetch, regardless of corn planting date or FN rate. Gravimetric soil water under mid‐ or late‐kill vetch was often significantly greater than after early‐kill vetch. We conclude that soil water conservation by late‐killed vetch mulches had a greater influence on corn production than vetch spring water use. Optimum N production and water conservation occurred when vetch was killed the last week of April. Earlykill vetch sacrificed N production and minimized soil water conservation, resulting in reduced corn grain yield. Late kill did not add significant N benefits, but could deplete soil water or interfere with timely corn planting.

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