ISU finds up to 10 percent corn yield increase with cover crops

Ethanol Producer Magazine
By Iowa State University News Service February 09, 2012

AMES, Iowa – The most recent annual results from a four-year Iowa State University study on using cover crops between rows of corn reveals that higher yields – by 5 to 10 percent – are possible using the soil-saving approach to farming.

The results are the best yet in the ongoing research, according to Ken Moore, distinguished professor of agronomy and primary investigator on the project, who plans to carry on the trials for at least one more growing season. Planting living mulch – or ground cover – between rows of corn is intended to perform several functions – maintain soil moisture, slow soil erosion, and sequester carbon.

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