Posts Tagged: crop

Using Native Plants as Cover Crops

In late February, in an almond orchard in the Sacramento Valley, the fall-planted cover crop mix of grasses, brassicas and legumes had barely produced a green fuzz above the soil surface, and it was unclear when it would bloom. 

Unfortunately, this scene is becoming more frequent across California, as climate change causes more prolonged droughts and rain-dependent winter cover crops can barely grow, which delays or reduces bloom, essential for supporting pollinators.

Fortunately, California native plant species have evolved with drought and have developed many strategies to survive and reproduce in those conditions.

Would it be possible to capitalize on the over 9 million acres of cropland in California for drought resilience and habitat restoration by utilizing more native species as cover crops? Our team at the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP) spent some time considering various native plant species and their potential ecological and operational attributes as cover crops. For a full list of species and their attributes, see https://ucanr.edu/sites/covercrops/.

Many native species are so well adapted to drought that they will still germinate and bloom during extremely dry years, for example, annuals like Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa) and California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). Alternatively, perennial bulb species like Prettyface (Triteleia ixioides) and Bluedicks (Dipteronstemon capitatus) become dormant during the dry summer, retaining their bulbs below ground and re-growing when the rains return.

ADVERTISING

These species could perhaps fit well in no-till orchard systems. Summer dormancy is important for tree nut growers because they usually need clean ground under the trees during harvest. Moreover, the costs to terminate and reseed would potentially be eliminated. While these species are well-known by Native Americans for their edible bulbs, at this point in time, we are not aware of any cover cropping trials having ever been conducted with these species. 

A harvestable product

Cover crops are not usually considered marketable crops. However, we should not preclude the potential for some plants that are useful as cover crops to provide a harvestable product as well.

Native perennial fiber plants such as Indian hemp dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum), narrow leaf milkweed (Asclepsias fascicularis), and common nettle (Urtica dioica) could offer the opportunity to cultivate summer cover crops that have a market value, especially in cases where farmers are already willing to irrigate their cover crops to improve their development and amplify the benefits.

Bowles Farming in the San Joaquin Valley is experimenting with growing these three species for fiber production. All three also attract native bees and important butterfly species such as monarchs (as long as farmers avoid spraying insecticides). 

While we believe that some native species could open new opportunities for farmers as cover crops, we still have insufficient studies testing the effects and viability of these species.

Organizations like the NRCS Plant Materials Center at Lockeford and the Xerces Society are conducting practical studies with native species, creating plant guides and working with farmers to expand their use. In addition, researchers Lauren Hale of the USDA Agricultural Research Service and Anil Shrestha of California State University, Fresno, are using a 2021 UC SAREP small grant to study the effects of native species mixes on water demand and weed populations in San Joaquin Valley grape vineyards.

Hale suggests that below-ground ecosystems may benefit as much from native plants as above-ground ecosystems. Says Hale, “Because plants and their microbiomes have evolved together for millennia, it seems logical that native plants would promote a good response from the native soil microbiota.”

For additional information:

UC SAREP List of California Native Species for Potential Use as Cover Crops: https://ucanr.edu/sites/covercrops/

Xerces Society lists of pollinator-friendly native species for California: https://xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center/california

NRCS California Plant Materials Center plant guides: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/publications/plantmaterials/pmc/west/capmc/pub/

UC SAREP Cover Crops Database: https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/covercrop

cover crop citrus

Ventura County Crop Report

The estimated gross value of Ventura County's agriculture for calendar year 2019 is $1,990,100,000. This represents an overall decrease of 5% in comparison to 2018.

Strawberries were again the number one crop at $508,371,000, but decreased by 24% from 2018. Celery, for the first time moved up into second place, displacing Lemons, with a value of $243,455,000, increasing by 18%. Lemons dropped into third place with a value of $211,104,000, decreasing by 14%. Raspberries rose to fourth place with a value of $203,538,000, increasing by 11%. Nursery Stock dropped to fifth place with a value of $187,467,000, decreasing by 4%. Avocados remained in sixth place with a value of $116,981,000, and increased by 12%. Tomatoes remained in seventh place with a value of $46,485,000, but decreased by 5%. Cut Flowers remained in eighth place, with a value of $46,153,000, but decreased by 5%. Peppers remained in ninth place, with a value of $42,880,000, but decreased by 1%. Hemp, a crop that was reintroduced into Ventura County in 2018, replaced Cabbage as the tenth leading crop, with a value of $35,460,000. Hemp?

Read all about it Here

Image:  Elevational Changes in Ventura County

ventura county elevational changes

2019 Santa Barbara County Crop Report Out

Santa Barbara County's agricultural industry had a big year in 2019, with a more than 5% increase in the value of crops, according to the county's just-released annual crop report.

It shows the total valuation of the crops was $1.6 billion dollars in 2019, up $78 million dollars from 2018.

Top Ten Commodities :

Strawberries

Wine Grapes

Nursery Products

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Leaf Lettuce

Celery

Cut Flowers and Foliage

Avocados

avocado picture baby fruit

Cover Cropping the Coast

Save the Date!

October 31, 9am – 11am

Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center

287 S Briggs Rd, Santa Paula

 

Come gather around a cover crop demonstration for a discussion on cover crop seed selections, appropriate mixes for different cropping systems, and management issues. Other soil health topics include compost applications, Healthy Soils grant opportunities, and technical assistance availability.

 

This event is free and open to anyone interested in soil health. Please spread the word!

 

More information to follow, if you can join us please RSVP here:

 

https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=28259

citrus weeds and disc

Spotlight on Healthy Soils: Quaker Oaks Farm

Thanks to special guest author Shulamit Shroder for a glance at a Healthy Soils Program grant in action. Shulamit is Kern County's UCCE climate smart agriculture specialist. 

Quaker Oaks Farm is a small nonprofit farm in Tulare County, near Visalia. About half of its 21 acres are devoted to restoring and maintaining a native wetland and riparian oak forest area. The rest is a diverse organic farming operation, with areas devoted to annual vegetable crops, grazed grasslands, and a small orchard. 

As farm manager, Steven Lee applied for and received a Healthy Soils grant in 2017 to plant cover crops and hedgerows, apply compost and mulch, and establish a silvopasture area.

He believes that this investment in the farm's soil will pay off in the long term, so that the next generation can continue to enjoy the services provided by the nonprofit's complex landscape.

Between March 2018 and March 2021, the farm plans to:

-       Plant cover crops on 4.5 acres

-       Plant hedgerows on 0.3 acres

-       Establish a 2.5 acre silvopasture area

-       Apply mulch to 2 acres

-       Apply compost to 6 acres

Benefits

Water usage: Dr. Lee reported that the mulch has helped keep young plants from wilting in the hot sun and that their overall water usage has decreased.

Energy usage: They have reduced their tillage operations, which has decreased their energy use and their carbon footprint.

Pests: Dr. Lee has witnessed an increase in beneficial insects since the start of the project, especially ladybugs. In 2018, the ladybugs did not migrate away from the farm during the hottest part of the summer like they had in previous years. The farm also did not have to spray organic pesticides in 2018, unlike in 2017. In addition, the increase in native pollinators should help to pollinate the fruit tree orchard, since the farm does not have its own beehive.

Disadvantages

Labor: Implementing these practices takes time, and Dr. Lee does most of the on-farm labor himself. He ended up prioritizing the Healthy Soils project over production during the past year, since the grant has offset his labor costs.

Learning curve: Determining optimal timing has been the steepest learning curve so far, such as figuring out when to plant the native hedgerow plants and when to replace the ones that died.

Climate smart agriculture encompasses management practices that increase soil carbon sequestration, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yields and efficiencies, and promotes climate resilience. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) supports three funding opportunities in climate smart agriculture: the Healthy Soils Program, the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program, and the Alternative Manure Management Program. 

In a collaborative partnership, CDFA and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources have teamed up to support 10 community education specialists throughout the state to provide technical assistance and outreach for the climate smart agriculture programs. As one of these technical assistance providers, my role is to promote and support the adoption of these programs in Ventura County. If you are interested in working with me, please contact me at amrowe@ucanr.edu.

Read more