Integrating cover crops in high tunnel production systems

Master of ScienceDepartment of Horticulture and Natural ResourcesCary L. RivardThe use of high tunnel systems for vegetable crop production is increasing throughout the Central United States. High tunnels provide environmental protection, season extension, increased crop quality and yield, and pest and disease exclusion. In contrast to greenhouse production, high tunnel production is typically soil-based. Intensive cultivation and/or reduced crop rotation intervals that occur in high tunnels and can lead to degradation of soil health. Therefore, this study identified were to identify summer and winter cover crop species could be viable for high tunnel systems and determine their impact on soil properties and arthropod abundance. High tunnel experiments were conducted in 2018 and 2019. There were eight cover crop treatments planted in each season, which included grass, cereal, and legume combinations as well as a weed-free control. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) were the legume crops planted in the winter and summer experiments, respectively. In the winter experiments, cereal rye (Secale cereal) and hairy vetch treatment resulted in the highest biomass yields and cover crop nitrogen contribution (P <0.05). In the summer experiment, summer cover crop available N (lbs/acre) was highest for the sorghum-sudangrass treatment (Sorghum x drummondi) averaging 100 lbs/acre (P