Source: NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
FORAGE AND BIOENERGY CROP PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT IN NORTH DAKOTA
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1008005
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 7, 2015
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2020
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
1310 BOLLEY DR
FARGO,ND 58105-5750
Performing Department
Plant Sciences
Non Technical Summary
The forage program at NDSU is the only program that provides non-biased information on the performance of forages in North Dakota. Also, I frequently answer questions from area growers or extension agents about forage and cover crop cultivar selection and production management. The information generated by the research in this project allows me to give growers advice to improve their forage crops performance and quality.The optimization of alfalfa management (fertility, seeding rate, and harvest frequency) greatly impacts the productivity. The studies in alfalfa fall dormancy, fall harvest, and alfalfa-grass mixtures will increase the forage yield on average at least 0.3 ton/acre/year. Pure alfalfa acreage in North Dakota in 2014 was 395,711 acres and alfalfa grass mixtures 1,000,961 acres (USDA FSA, 2014). An increase in forage yield of 0.3 tons/acre x 1,396,672 acres at a price of $100/ton of hay equals an economic impact of $41,900,160/year. Any improvement in alfalfa yield or reduction in cost by management has a tremendous economic impact. Forages are ranked third in value and acreage among all other crops in the USA. North Dakota is the second most important state in alfalfa acreage in the USA (USDA FSA, 2014).My program has additional impact by testing new forage sources and improving the management of the existing traditional forages. The economic impact of sorghums, forage brassicas, and other annual forages is difficult to estimate, because most of their benefits are indirect. North Dakota cover crop acreage in 2013 was 218,000 acres with a potential to increase which merits a need to provide management information to producers of cover crops.My project also includes bioenergy crops and cover crops research. The impact value of these are hard to estimate, but as a reference legume cover crops planted after wheat in one of our studies (Samarappuli et al., 2014) reduced the need of nitrogen fertilization in corn by 100 lbs N/acre/year. With a N credit of only 50 lbs N/acre, the economic value of reducing the fertilization in corn in 2,693,677 acres x 50 lbs N/acre at a saving of $0.3 lb N, is $40,405,169 per year.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2051640108020%
2051620108010%
2051621108010%
2051629108010%
2051630108010%
2051639108010%
2051649108010%
2051644108010%
2052030108010%
Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1620 - Warm season perennial grasses; 1629 - Perennial grasses, other; 1639 - Annual grasses, other; 1640 - Alfalfa; 1644 - Winter annual legumes; 1649 - Forage legumes, general/other; 1621 - Cool season perennial grasses; 1630 - Summer annual grasses; 2030 - Sweet sorghum;

Field Of Science
1080 - Genetics;
Goals / Objectives
1. To improve existing forage production practices and evaluate new perennial and annual forages in North Dakota.2. To introduce and evaluate biomass crops as a new bioenergy component of existing cropping systems in North Dakota.3. To evaluate the impact of cover crops on crop productivity and several ecosystem services in North Dakota.
Project Methods
Procedures: All experiments will have three or four replicates each and generally established at more than one location and year. In all experiments, forage or biomass yield will be evaluated every year. In perennial crops, forage yield will be evaluated 4 years and in each cut in the season. Forage quality will be determined for all studies except variety testing experiments. Quality determination will be done at the Animal Sciences Lab (wet chemistry) or with a Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) at the University of Wisconsin. Information from each experiment will be disseminated through my forages website, conferences presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and extension publications or news.Objective 1: To improve existing forage production practices and evaluate new perennial and annual forages in North Dakota.Experiment 1: Seeding rate and plant density in alfalfa. This experiment was established in Carrington, Fargo, and Prosper, ND, in 2013 and 2014 and will be continued until 2020. The experiment has six seeding rates (0.9, 4.5, 9, 13, 18, and 22 lbs/acre PLS), with the single cultivar Prezeed-RR (glyphosate tolerant). Forage yield and quality, plant density, and stem density are evaluated at the end of the season before the last harvest of the season until 2020. A model to estimate forage yield with stem densities will be generated.Experiment 2: Phosphorus fertilization in alfalfa. The experiments were established in 2014 at Fargo and Ekre and will be continued until 2019. Treatments included: 1) a check with no fertilizer, 2) Crystal Green (slow release P) at 100 lbs P2O5/acre, 3) mono ammonium phosphate (MAP) (11:52:0) at 100 lbs P2O5/acre, 4) Crystal Green-MAP 50-50 blend at 80 lbs P2O5/acre, and 5) Crystal Green-MAP 25-75 blend at 80 lbs P2O5/acre. Before harvesting plant height and growth stage rating were recorded. Growth stage is indicated as % bloom using the standard growth rating for alfalfa.Experiment 3: Alfalfa variety trials. Alfalfa cultivars and advanced experimental lines will be evaluated at Fargo (dryland) and Carrington (irrigated), ND, and supported by fee testing. Forage yield is reported in the forages web page. Cultivar entries from alfalfa seed companies have generally ranged from 5 to 6 per year, only the check cultivars are the same each year.Experiment 4: Corn-alfalfa intercropping. An experiment was started in Fargo and Prosper in 2014 with the objective of optimizing productivity and economic feasibility of alfalfa by establishing it as an intercrop into the previous year's corn crop. Treatments include 1) corn at 24-inch row spacing, 2) corn at 30-inch row spacing 3) corn (24-inch)-alfalfa intercropped, 4) corn (30-inch)-alfalfa intercropped, 5) corn (24-inch)-alfalfa intercropped + prohexadione calcium (PHX), 6) corn (30-inch)-alfalfa intercropped + PHX, 7) Year 2, alfalfa alone on Treatments 1 and 2, 8) Year 2, corn at 24-inch, and 9) Year 2, corn at 30-inch. Alfalfa in Treatments 3, 4, 5, and 6 will continue to grow in Year 2. Plant height, forage yield, and quality of corn and alfalfa will be evaluated for each cut in alfalfa and for one cut in the fall in corn both years. An economic analysis will be conducted to determine the economic benefits of intercropping.Experiment 5: Forage sorghum variety trial and management. Variety trials at Prosper, ND will be planted in the spring and harvested in the fall every year for the next five years. Objective 2: To introduce and evaluate biomass crops as a new bioenergy component of existing cropping systems in North Dakota.Experiment 1. Forage sorghum production for bioenergy and biogas. Forage sorghum was identified as the most promising bioenergy crop for North Dakota. Variety testing will be conducted every year from 2015 to 2020 to determine the biomass yield and biogas yield, which will be estimated from forage quality parameters according to the method established by Rath et al. (2013). Several sorghum management studies (fertility, seeding date, and harvest management) will be conducted to optimize the productivity and reduce inputs in this crop.Experiment 2. Forage sorghum corn intercropping for biogas. An experiment was initiated in 2013 in Fargo, ND and Morris, MN to compare different intercropping systems with monocultures and mixed cultures of silage corn and forage sorghum to determine the most suitable production (in terms of biomass and biogas yield, and forage quality) system for different areas in the northern Great Plains. Also, in this study the energy balance, production cost, and the sustainability of each intercropping and monoculture system will be analyzed to identify the best production system. Experiment 3. Corn and soybean intercropping with winter camelina. Cropping systems as relay- or double-seeding are the most efficient way to add bioenergy crops without competing for food crops. A study was initiated in 2014 in Fargo, Prosper, ND and Morris, MN, with the aim to determine the effect of relay-seeding of camelina into standing corn and soybean at three development stages, on crop yield, camelina stand establishment, and soil cover. Also, we will determine the economic balance, and life cycle analysis (LCA) of the different cropping systems.Objective 3: To evaluate the impact of cover crops on crop productivity and several ecosystem services in North Dakota.Experiment 1. Forage brassicas and other cover crops variety trial. Variety trials in Fargo, Prosper, and/or Carrington will be planted in August of every year for the next five years.Experiment 2. Effect of radish and turnip in the following corn and soybean crop. An experiment was established in Fargo and Prosper, ND, to determine the ability of forage radish and turnip to recycle nutrients. For this turnip and radish were planted in the fall of 2014, and in the spring of 2015 corn and soybean will be planted no till into the residue of the cover crops. Treatments will also include four nitrogen rates (0, 45, 90, and 135 lbs N/acre) in the corn experiment. Cover crops biomass yield and quality and grain crop yield will be evaluated.Experiment 3. Aerial seeding of cover crops in standing corn and soybean. The season in North Dakota is too short to plant a cover crop after corn or soybean harvest, but this can be done with relay-aerial seeding of cover crops before harvest. Replicated experiments to optimize aerial seeding of cover crops will be established in standing corn and soybean. A check plot with no cover crop will be included. Cover crop seed will be broadcasted on top the crop canopy at two growth stages. Initial and final stand count and phenological stages in corn and soybean, and the cover crops will be recorded. Total plant biomass and grain yield of both cash and cover crops will be harvested. Costs of production will consider the production input expenses including seed, fertility, and pest management costs.Experiment 4. Biostrips or polyculture strips in cash crop systems. The experiment will be conducted in Prosper, ND, and Morris, MN, in 2015 and continued for four years. Four plant species mixtures will be planted. The four biostrips will include many native and introduced species: (1) Native prairie wildflower mixture, (2) Roadside mixture, (3) Habitat mixture, and (4) Pollinator mixture. Plants in the mixtures will flower at different times during the season providing season-round sources of pollen and nectar. Evaluations in each plot will include establishment at emergence and botanical composition in the fall of the seeding year and the subsequent springs. To assess honey bees (Apis melifera L.) and other native bees in the biostrips treatments we will deploy arrays of bowl traps adjusting the timing to when the majority or dominant species are flowering. Observations on other pollinators, flies, butterflies, etc. that visit the biostrips will also be evaluated.

Progress 10/07/15 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Target Audience: Includes farmers, crop consultants, extension personnel, and companies interested in forages, cover crops, and biomass crops. Efforts:Delivered science-based information in field days, workshops, Café talks, conference attendance. Taught "Principles of Forage Production" course and lab every fall semester. Digitalized lab content for Hyflex teaching. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?From 2015-2020 I have trained and been the major advisor of ten graduate students: Amy Greenberg, MS (Expected May 2021), Potassium fertilization in alfalfa Kenneth Mozea, MS (Expected December 2021), Full-season cover crops grazing mixtures Johanna Luckaschewski (Expected May 2021), Alfalfa-corn intercropping. Alex Wittenberg, MS (Expected May 2020), Morphological differences between winter and summer types of camelina and optimum sowing date of winter camelina. Bryce Andersen, MS (May 2019) Interseeding of legume cover crops into corn. Swarup Podder, MS (May 2019) Chilling-tolerance in forage sorghum. Sergio Cabello, PhD (Expected May 2020) Nutrient credits from cover crops in no-tillage system in the northern Great Plains. Alan Peterson, MS, (May 2019) Interseeding cover crops on standing soybean. Dulan Samarappuli, PhD, (May 2017). Productivity and sustainability of intercropping systems in the northern Great Plains Osvaldo Teuber, PhD, (May 2017). Agronomic studies of forage brassicas and cover crops in North Dakota From 2015-2020, in addition to my graduate students, I have been on the examining committee of 18 MS students and 7 PhD students. I had three PhD visiting students working in my project in 2019 Andrea Parenti, University of Bologna, Italy and Margot LeClere, France and in 2016 Carlos Ciria, Spain. I hosted one undergraduate student internship, Marisol Morocho, from the EARTH University. Costa Rica. Professional Development: My research in bioenergy crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations between-2015-2020 Active member of the scientific committee and session chair of the Annual European Biomass Conference Active member of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops and president in 2016-2017 Editor-in-chief of the Industrial Crops and Products Journal since 2012. I edit about 1000 papers/year. My research in forages has provided several opportunities. I have continued my participation in the top forages organizations in the USA, National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance (NAFA), and Midwest Forage Association (MFA) (Board member) Thanks to my visibility in the forage research area I was past chair and board representative of the C6, Forage and Grazinglands Division, CSSA, 2019-2021. I am the ND representative and past chair (2017-2018) to the NCCC-31 Ecophysiological Aspects of Forage Management committee. My research in cover crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations and outreach: I am the ND representative to the NCCC-21 "Cover crops to improve agricultural sustainability and environmental quality in the upper Midwest". I am member of the Soil Water Conservation Society and I was awarded the 2019 North Dakota Chapter award. I have been invited as a speaker to numerous field days, plot tours, conferences, and winter talks with farmers about cover crops and forages in the state, region, USA, and other countries. I have been able to communicate to farmers the knowledge acquired in cover crops and forages in my research. I was invited to Lanzhou, China to talk about my research in cover crops and collaborate with alfalfa research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Peer-reviewed publications, conferences and symposium presentations, extension publications, monthly CAP project conference calls, workshops, CAP project website, soil health website, forages website, phone calls, field days, winter talk meetings, virtual workshops and presentations, and plot tours. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Impact: The forages, biomass, and cover crops project at NDSU has impacted the state's economy by: a) increasing alfalfa and other forages yield, b) decreasing soil erosion and residual N losses, c) increasing soil health and crop yields in the long term, and d) providing additional forage for grazing in the fall. Total potential economic impact to the state= $56,961,128 annually. Objective 1. Forage management and production research: This project's research has focused on increasing forage yield and forage nutritive value in alfalfa through best practices management such as seeding rates, variety performance, P and K fertilization, alfalfa-grass mixtures, and alfalfa-corn intercropping. Our research indicated that increasing the seeding rate above the recommended rate (10 kg PLS ha−1) does not increase forage yield or quality. New varieties of alfalfa both conventional or with GMO traits are released every year and need testing in North Dakota. The alfalfa variety trials of the last ten years have not shown differences in forage yield between the check variety Vernal and new released varieties.The only years where 'Vernal' had lower performance than newer varieties was in years with a high incidence of root disease where 'Vernal' lacked disease resistance. Phosphorus and K are the most important nutrients in alfalfa and both are key to achieve the plant's yield potential.Many of the soils in which alfalfa is grown in ND are deficient in P, K, or both.There are many studies indicating a positive alfalfa regrowth/yield response to P fertilization when applied before seeding or as a slow release P fertilizer applied after the first cut of the season.The application of K should be related to the soil test value, clay chemistry, and alfalfa tonnage removed the previous season. In our research, we found that alfalfa can take up 60 kg of K per ton of forage removed from the field. Also, K fertility trials indicated that soils with high smectite:illite content fixed K, limiting K availability forthe plant.Alfalfa root starch and protein concentrations were measured, but not many differences between fertility treatments were found. Stressing alfalfa with an untimely harvest in mid-September did affect alfalfa persistence but K did not improve winter survival as expected. The most common binary mixture in the northern Great Plains is smooth brome (SB) with alfalfa; however, other mixtures might have advantages over SB-alfalfa.In a study conducted in ND, several wheatgrass species not commonly used in alfalfa-grass mixtures were tested.All grass species produced higher forage yield in binary mixtures with alfalfa than in monoculture.Alfalfa contributed with higher crude protein while grasses had higher digestibility of the fiber. Despite the many economic and environmental benefits alfalfa provides, annual forage yield of alfalfa is much lower than that of silage corn, particularly in the establishment year. This has resulted in the reduction of alfalfa production and subsequent increase of continuous silage corn production on dairy farms. Intercropping alfalfa into silage corn provides a head start to alfalfa production establishment and doubling the forage yield compared with conventional spring-seeded alfalfa, however more research is needed to optimize alfalfa establishment while minimizing corn yield losses. Annual forages are an important source of forage early in the season when pasture regrowth is not sufficient for grazing. Variety trials results of annual forages are posted in the forages webpage http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsciences/research/forages . Annual warm- and cool-season forage mixtures are ideal for summer grazing and an important alternative for prevented planted acres. In a study in ND, forage sorghum (FS) regrowth was faster than other cover crops dominating the mixtures. Mixtures including FS yielded about the same as FS as a sole crop. Legumes were lost from the stand after the first cut due to severe competition from FS. Forage brassicas increased in the mix after the first cut. Objective 2. Bioenergy crops: Energy sorghum (ES) is an excellent candidate for cellulosic ethanol production since it is energy efficient, has the ability to produce high yield under droughty conditions, and has low production inputs. In ND, ES is the bioenergy crop with the highest biomass yield potential and the advantage of requiring less production inputs. However, it is affected by potential chilling injury early in the season. Fortunately, chilling tolerance was identified among commercial FS and ES varieties and hybrids, which can produce greater biomass yield when planted earlier than normal in the North Central US. In addition, FS can be intercropped with corn silage for biogas production (CH4 and CO2 from anaerobic digestion). Biogas yield and forage quality produced by FS monocultures, and mixtures containing FS were similar to that of corn. Forage sorghum and FS-corn intercropping had lower environmental impact compared with corn in all categories evaluated (global warming potential (GWP), eutrophication, ecotoxicity, and abiotic depletion). Winter camelina is a potential feedstock for drop-in biofuels. We developed a fast, non-destructive method for determining the seed composition of camelina with near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). In addition, we used the NIRS to differentiate spring from winter camelina biotypes and determined that the optimum fall-seeding date for winter camelina is mid-September to the first week of October. Objective 3. Cover Crops: Research in cover crops in our region and by our team demonstrated that integrating winter oilseeds or cover crops before the cash crop or relay-interseeded into the cash crop can: (1) scavenge and retain soil NO3-N in plant biomass and prevent leaching and run-off of nutrients; (2) manage soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) (SCN); (3) remove excess soil moisture under wet spring conditions; (4) provide N to the following cash crop reducing the need of fertilizer; and (5) integrate annual and perennial cover crops into existing cropping systems. The main focus of the cover crops research has been on corn, soybean, and wheat systems. Preliminary research of interseeding cover crops in other crops include: 1) increased absorption and retention of soil NO3-N in plant biomass and reduced leaching and nutrient run-off in sugarbeet; (2) increased sugar concentration of sugarbeet roots by 1%, which represents about $32.4 ha-1 increase in gross return. Fall seeding or interseeding of cover crops into standing soybean to manage SCN was evaluated in 2018 and 2019. Even in soils with very low initial levels of SCN (<50 eggs 100 cm-3), SCN populations can explode up to 140-fold if a SCN-susceptible variety is planted.The SCN populations increased 2-4 fold even in the resistant variety.Fall-planted camelina and brown mustard (Brassica juncea L.) reduced SCN populations in the subsequent resistant variety but not in the susceptible variety. A multi-impact environmental assessment of winter camelina- soybean relay cropping using a "cradle-to-gate" life cycle assessment method was conducted. Preliminary results showed strong environmental performance of winter camelina for impact categories such as reduction for eutrophication and soil erosion, and increased floral resources to early-season pollinators, carbon footprint control and impact on soil carbon stock (Cecchin et al., 2020).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Andersen, B., D.P. Samarappuli, A. Wick and M.T. Berti. 2020. Faba bean and pea can provide late-fall forage grazing without affecting maize yield the following season. Agronomy, 10:80.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Acharya, K., G. Yan, and M.T. Berti. 2020. Evaluation of diverse cover crops as hosts of two populations of soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines. Crop Protection 135,105205 doi:1016/j.cropro.2020.105205
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Spiess, J. D.A. McGranahan, B. Geaumont, K. Sedivec, M. Lakey, M.T. Berti, T.J. Hovick, R.F. Limb. 2020. Patch-burning buffers forage resources and livestock performance to mitigate drought in the northern Great Plains. Rangeland Ecol. Manag. 73(4):473-481
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Samarappuli, D. F. Zanetti, S. Berzuini, and M.T. Berti*. 2020. Crambe (Crambe abyssinica): A non-food oilseed crop with great potential: A review. Agronomy 10, 1380, doi:10.3390/agronomy10091380
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Mohammed, Y.A., S. Patel, H. Matthees, A.W. Lenssen, B.L. Johnson, M.S. Wells, F. Forcella, M.T. Berti, R.W. Gesch. 2020 Soil nitrogen in response to interseeded cover crops in maizesoybean Production Systems. Agronomy 10, 1439; doi:10.3390/agronomy10091439
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Forcella, F., S. Patel, A.W. Lenssen, C. Hoening, J. Eckberg, M.S. Wells, R.W. Gesch, and M.T. Berti. 2020. Pollinator visitation of flowering winter oilseeds (field pennycress and winter camelina). J. Applied Entomology 00:1-9 doi: 10.1111/jen.12854
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Wittenberg, A., J.V. Anderson, M.T. Berti*. Crop growth and productivity of winter camelina in response to sowing date. Ind. Crops Prod. 158:113036 doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113036
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2020. Biomass sorghum: the most promising energy crop in the northern Great Plains. Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops(AAIC) Webinar Series 8-9 September, 2020. Virtual conference. Invited speaker
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Neubauer, M., M.T Berti, J.V. Anderson, W. Chao, and D. Horvath. 2020. Vernalization and cold acclimation of two divergent Camelina sativa biotypes: An RNAseq time course study. Plant Biology Worldwide Summit, Washington, DC, 27-31 July, (Virtual)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Cecchin, A., M.T. Berti*, and G. Pourhashem, 2020. Evaluating environmental impacts of introducing winter camelina and field pennycress into the current cropping systems in the upper Midwest of the USA. In 28th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, Marseille, France. 6-9 July 2020 (Virtual).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Cecchin, A., M.T. Berti, and G. Pourhashem. 2020. Assessing environmental benefits of winter cover crops in corn-soybean rotations in the U.S. Upper Midwest. 26th International Sustainable Development Research Society. Budapest, Hungary, 15-17 July 2020. (Virtual)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2020. Potassium Impact on yield, quality, and winter hardiness. Midwest Forage Association Annual Conference. Wisconsin Dells, WI, 18-19 February 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2020. Cover crops North Dakota Report. Midwest Cover Crop Council Conference. Kansas City, MO 10-12 February 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2020. Cover crop seed regulations and crop variety v. selection. Cover Crops In-Service, An in-person training for NDSU Extension agents, NRCS, and SCD personnel. Carrington, ND, 13 January 2020. Invited.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2020. Selecting cover crops by function. An in-person training for NDSU Extension agents, NRCS, and SCD personnel. Carrington, ND, 13 January 2020. Invited.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Greenberg, A., M.T. Berti, D.P. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, A. Wittenberg, and K. Mozea. 2020. Impact of potassium fertilization on yield, quality, and winter hardiness of alfalfa. American Forage and Grassland Council Conference Greenville, SC, 5-8 January 2020.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Teuber, O., D. Samarappuli, and M.T. Berti. 2020. Nitrogen and sulfur fertilization in kale and swede for grazing. Agronomy 10(5), 619; doi:10.3390/agronomy10050619
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Niu, Y., Z. Luo, L. Cai, J.A. Coulter, Y. Zhang, and M. Berti. 2020. Continuous monoculture of alfalfa and annual crops influence soil organic matter and microbial communities based on the substrate utilization pattern analysis in rainfed Loess Plateau of China. Agronomy 10:1054, doi:10.3390/agronomy10071054
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Podder, S., D. Samarappuli, James V. Anderson, and M.T. Berti. 2020. Phenotyping a diverse collection of forage sorghum genotypes for chilling tolerance. Agronomy, 10:1074 doi:10.3390/agronomy10081074
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cabello, S., S. Podder, M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, B. Andersen, A. Wittenberg, and A. Peterson. 2019. Cover crops decrease initial water content, sugarbeet root yield, and residual NO3-N in the northern Great Plains. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, San Antonio, TX, 10-13 November 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cabello, S., S. Podder, M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, B. Andersen, A. Wittenberg, and A. Peterson. 2019. Legume fall-planted cover crops slightly increased corn yield in the northern Great Plains. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, San Antonio, TX, 10-13 November 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Patel., S., A.W. Lenssen, K.J. Moore, and M.T. Berti. 2019. Increasing overall productivity by intercropping corn and alfalfa. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, San Antonio, TX, 10-13 November 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wittenberg, A., M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, D.P. Samarappuli, A. Greenberg, K. Mozea, S. Cabello, S. Podder, and J.V. Anderson. 2019. Sowing date affects winter camelina stand. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, San Antonio, TX, 10-13 November 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Mozea, K. M.T. Berti, K. Sedivec, A. Peterson, A. Wittenberg, S. Cabello, and A. Greenberg. 2020. Biomass yield and botanical composition of annual forage mixtures for grazing. American Forage and Grassland Council Conference Greenville, SC, 5-8 January 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019. Managing soybean cyst nematode with cover crops. Prairie Grains Conference Grand Forks, 11-12 December 2019. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019.Timing and establishment of cover crops. Dakota Innovation Research and Technology Workshop Fargo, ND, 9-11 December 2019. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. and Y. Lawley 2019. High protein forage options and interseeding alfalfa in corn. Dakota Innovation Research and Technology Workshop Fargo, ND, 9-11 December 2019. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sigdel, S. M.T. Berti, S. Cabello-Leiva, and A. Chatterjee. 2019. Interseeding cover crops under sugarbeet production. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, San Antonio, TX, 10-13 November 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Franzen, D.W., M.T. Berti, S. Matthews, and A. Wick. 2019. Increase in non-exchangeable ammonium after cover crop rye and forage radish. ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings, San Antonio, TX, 10-13 November 2019.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Meehan, M., M. Keena, M.T. Berti, K. Sedivec, M. Ostlie, and E. Gaugler. 2020. Integration of Crop & Livestock Systems in North Dakota. 2020.Beef & sheep report.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2020. Frost damage in alfalfa: what to do after it? Crop &Pest Report Bull. No. 4, NDSU Extension Serv. 21 May 2020.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T. and O. Teuber, 2020. Fertilization of full-season forage brassicas for grazing. Forage Focus May 2020, p.7.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Sedivec, K., M. Meehan, E. Gaugler, M. Berti, F. Brummer, P. Nester 2020. Annual cover crop options for grazing in the northern Plains. Bull. R1759. North Dakota State University Extension Service.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T., and H. B�cking. 2020. Alfalfa productivity and nutrient uptake is related to interaction with soil microbiome. Forage Focus March 2020. Midwest Forage Association, St. Paul, MN p.18-19.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Berti, M.T., and A. Greenberg. 2020. Potassium fertilization does not increase alfalfa forage yield in the seeding year. Forage Focus. March 2020. Midwest Forage Association, St. Paul, MN p. 3-4


Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Includes farmers, crop consultants, extension personnel, and companies interested in forages, cover crops, and biomass crops. Changes/Problems:The main challenge of this project has been funding for forage research. Although forages are the third most important crop in ND, forages funding is very limited. However in 2019, I was able to secure two research grants in alfalfa, one funded by NAFA check-off dollars and one by USDA-NIFA alfalfa program. Funding in energy crops is difficult to obtain since lignocellulosic derived biofuels are no longer seen as a potential alternative to energy security. Currently, cover crops is a research priority for USDA-NIFA and I have been able to secure research funding for the next two years. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training: In 2019, I have been the major advisor of seven graduate students Amy Greenberg, MS (Expected May 2021), Potassium fertilization in alfalfa Kenneth Mozea, MS (Expected May 2021), Full-season cover crops grazing mixtures Alex Wittenberg, MS (Expected May 2020), Morphological differences between winter and summer types of camelina and optimum sowing date of winter camelina. Bryce Andersen, MS (May 2019) Interseeding of legume cover crops into corn. Swarup Podder, MS (May 2019) Chilling-tolerance in forage sorghum. Sergio Cabello, PhD (Expected May 2020) Nutrient credits from cover crops in no-tillage system in the northern Great Plains. Alan Peterson, MS, (May 2019) Interseeding camelina on standing soybean. Additionally, I have been in the examining committee of 13 MS students and 3 PhD students. I had two PhD visiting students during the summer of 2019; Andrea Parenti, University of Bologna, Italy and Margot LeClere, France. Professional Development: My research in bioenergy crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations in 2019 Active member of the scientific committee and session chair of the Annual European Biomass Conference Active member of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. Editor-in-chief of the Industrial Crops and Products Journal since 2019. I edit about 1000 papers/year. My research in forages has provided several opportunities. I have continued my participation in the top forages organizations in the USA, National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance (NAFA), and Midwest Forage Association (MFA) (Board member) Thanks to my visibility in the forage research area I was past chair and now board representative of the C6, Forage and Grazinglands Division, CSSA. I am currently the ND representative and past chair to the NCCC-31 Ecophysiological Aspects of Forage Management committee. My research in cover crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations and outreach: I am the ND representative to the NCCC-21 "Cover crops to improve agricultural sustainability and environmental quality in the upper Midwest". I am member of the Soil Water Conservation Society and I was awarded the 2019 North Dakota Chapter award. I have been invited as a speaker to numerous field days, plot tours, conferences, and winter talks with farmers about cover crops and forages in the state, region, USA, and other countries. I have been able to communicate to farmers the knowledge acquired in cover crops and forages in my research. I was invited to Lanzhou, China to talk about my research in cover crops. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Peer-reviewed publications, conferences and symposium presentations, extension publications, monthly CAP project conference calls, workshops, CAP project website, soil health website, forages website, phone calls, field days, winter talk meetings, and plot tours. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue with the CAP project which was extended through March 2021 and establish the research trials in the new alfalfa NIFA grant. Four publications including research results from the CAP grant are in preparation and expected to be submitted by March 2020. I will continue directing and working on the USDA-NIFA- and commodity-funded projects.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The forage program at NDSU is the only program that provides non-biased information to farmers on the performance of forages in ND. Forages acreage, without including CRP or native rangeland, was 3,321,202 acres in 2018. Forages are the third most important crop in acreage in ND after wheat and soybean. Diverse studies in alfalfa harvest management, density, fertility conducted by this project have demonstrated forage yield can be easily increased on average at least by 0.3 ton/acre/yr. Pure alfalfa acreage in ND in 2018 was 481,834 acres and alfalfa-grass mixtures 942,768 acres. An increase in forage yield of 0.3 tons/acre/year x 1,424,602 acres (alfalfa & alfalfa-grass mixtures) @ $100/ton of hay equals an economic impact of $42,738,060/yr. Alfalfa-corn intercropping allows alfalfa to get established in the corn year. This system increases alfalfa yield in Year 2 in 2.5 tons/acre compared with a spring-seeded alfalfa. Corn yield decreases in 30 bu/acre in Year 1 due to alfalfa competition. But in two years the gain of the system is about $160/acre (2.5 tons/acre x $100/ton - 30 bu/acre x $3/bu corn) or $80/acre/yr. The acres of corn silage-alfalfa rotation in ND are about 150,000 acres x $80= $1,200,000 in monetary impact. The impact of bioenergy crops research it is hard to value monetarily, since there is nocommercial production of energy crops in ND yet. But forage sorghum can yield up to 10 tons DM/acre. At $30-50/ton for biomass feedstock gross income will be $300-500/acre. In 2018, forage sorghum acreage increased in 26% from 35,843 acres in 2017 to 48,753 acres in 2018, at $50/ton value by 5 tons/acre (2 cuts) as feed, the economic impact equals $12,188,250/yr. Cover crops acreage increased 89% from 2012 to 2017 in North Dakota, with a total of 404,267 acres. Legume cover crops planted after wheat in one of our studies reduced the need of fertilizing corn by 50 lbs N/acre, but this is not likely to occur every year and in every field. Additionally, the research of interseeding cover crops into standing corn and soybean has indicated cover crops retain-30-50 lbs of N in their biomass preventing nitrate leaching off the root zone of the cover crops. With a very conservative N credit of legume cover crops of only 10 lbs N/acre, the economic value of reducing the fertilization in corn in 3,068,997 acres x 10 lbs N/acre saving x $0.35 lb N, is $10,741,489/yr. Cover crops forage value can add $30/acre revenue by grazing. If only 1% of the wheat acreage (7,605,263 acres) was planted to cover crops for grazing after harvest, the economic impact would be $2,281,579/yr. In summary, the forages, biomass, and cover crops project at NDSU impacts the state's economy by: a) increasing alfalfa and other forages yield, b) decreasing N fertilizer rates in corn, c) increasing soil health and crop yields in the long term, and d) providing additional forage for grazing in the fall. Total potential economic impact to the state= $56,961,128 annually. ?Obj. 1. Forage crops In 2019, activities included testing alfalfa varieties and other forages. Results are published in the forages website (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsci/forage/index.html). Mixtures for forage grazing: Annual ryegrass, chicory, and plantain mixtures were the lowest yielding mixtures as well as turnip-hybrid brassica mixtures. Forage sorghum (FS) and millet dominated the mix even at 2 lbspure live seed (PLS)/acre. FS regrowth was faster than other cover crops dominating the mix in the fall grazing. Mixtures with FS yielded about the same than FS alone. Legumes were lost after the first cut. Forage brassicas increased in the mix after the first cut. Forage winter rye and forage wheat variety trials. Seven silage hybrids and grain rye varieties were tested. Winter kill reduced stands in most varieties except for ND-Dylan. Forage wheat varieties had a strong incidence of bacterial leaf blight. Forage yield was not significantly different among varieties fluctuating between 2.95 and 3.50 tons/acre. Although forage yield was not significant among varieties, there was a clear linear negative relationship between forage yield and disease rating. Alfalfa-corn intercropping: It is a good option for farmers that grow corn silage and alfalfa. K fertilization and its impact on yield, quality, and winter hardiness of alfalfa The experiment was conducted at two fields with low K in the soil (<100 mg/kg K) and two different smectite-to-illite ratio (high and low). Three alfalfa varieties were fertilized with three rates of K2O (0, 168, and 336 kg K2O/ha) at seeding, and 168 and 336 kg K2O/ha as split-application. There was a slight response to yield with increased K2O rate (r2=0.62). Difference on clay ratio was not observed. Alfalfa management practices and their effect on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) populations - towards improving health, productivity, and sustainability of alfalfa production Root samples were taken from alfalfa K fertility trial and sent to South Dakota for further analysis on AM populations abundance and genotyping. Obj. 2. Bioenergy crops a) Forage sorghum chilling-tolerance. Forage sorghum's limitation as an energy crop is its low chilling tolerance. Cultivar by date was significant for biomass yield indicating some of the identified cultivars had greater yield when planted early in May. b) Perennial forage grasses: Twelve different species of perennial grasses have been evaluated annually since 2014 both for forage and potential as bioenergy crop. c) Life cycle assessment of energy crops and agricultural residues for sustainable materials development: This work included makinga comprehensive literature review of seven energy, fiber, and oilseed crops used as feedstocks for sustainable materials. d) Life cycle assessment and environmental impact of cover crops as relay crops into corn and soybean. Preliminary results showed a better environmental performance of winter camelina and field pennycress for impact categories such as eutrophication, erosion and pollinators, while winter rye outperformed the other crops and the control in carbon footprint and impact on soil C stock. Obj. 3. Cover crops Cover crops variety and seeding date trial: The experiment was established in 2019 in Fargo on two seeding dates, 1 August and 15 August. All results of biomass yield, and N accumulation of cover crops are available on the forages web page. Fall-seeding or interseeding of cover crops in standing soybean to manage soybean cyst nematode (SCN): This study evaluated managing SCN by fall-seeding or interseeding non-host crops into standing soybean. Even in very low levels of SCN (< 50 eggs/100 cm3), SCN populations can explode up to 140-fold if a SCN-susceptible variety is planted. SCN populations increased 2-4 fold even in the SCN-resistant variety. Fall-planted cover crops reduced SCN populations in the resistant variety only. Fall-seeded cover crops preceding soybean is a potential tool to manage SCN. N credits of cover crops to corn and sugarbeet: The results indicate legumes do provide some N credit to corn, but not to sugarbeet. Winter cover crops deplete soil moisture in the spring reducing stand establishment in sugarbeet reducing yield thereafter. Interseeding of cover crops into standing sugarbeet. Four cover crops were interseeded into standing sugarbeet in June and July in 2018 and 2019. Early planting had better cover crop stand, but reduced root yield. Cover crops scavenged excess nitrate leading to increased sugar content. Development of NIR calibrations for cool- and warm-season cover crops biomass and camelina seed. Calibrations for NIR forage quality and seed quality analysis were developed.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Acharya, K., G. Yan, and M.T. Berti. 2019. Can camelina, crambe, and brown mustard reduce soybean cyst nematode populations? Ind. Crops. Prod. 140:111637.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Aponte, A. D. Samarappuli, and M.T. Berti. 2019. Alfalfa grass-mixtures in comparison to grass and alfalfa monocultures. Agron. J. 111 (2):628-638 doi: 10.2134/agronj2017.12.0753
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T., G. Yan, D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, A. Wittenberg, and J.V. Anderson. 2019. Potential benefits to the environment by integrating winter camelina in current cropping systems of the northern Great Plains of the USA. p. 131 In European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Zanetti, F., M. Christou, E. Alexopoulou, M.T. Berti, A. Vecchi, A. Borghesi, and A. Monti. 2019. Innovative double cropping systems including camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] a valuable oilseed crop for bio-based applications. p. 127-130 In European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 June 2019).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T., D. Samarappuli, and C. Pourhashem. 2019. Environmental impact of crops and agricultural residues as feedstocks for bio-based product development. In 5th Latin-American Biorefineries Congress, Concepcion, Chile 7-9 January, 2019. Available at www.biorrefinerias.cl
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T., 2019. Importance of integrating cover crops into cropping systems. First International Cover Crops Conference, Lanzhou, China 20-26 September. Invited speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Anderson, J.V., W. Chao, D.P. Horvath, M.T. Berti and R.W. Gesch. 2019. Evaluation of winter hardy oilseed cover crops suitable for developing multi-cropping systems in cold and growth-limiting climates. First International Cover Crops Conference, Lanzhou, China 20-26 September.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wittenberg, A., M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, D.P. Samarappuli, A. Greenberg, K. Mozea, S. Cabello, S. Podder, and J.V. Anderson. 2019. Fall sowing dates in camelina affected plant density. 31th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Tucson, AZ, 8-11 September 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019. Forages, biomass, and cover crops production research. Annual meeting regional committee NCCC31 Ecophysiological Aspects of Forage Management. Madison, WI, 17-18 July 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T., G. Yan, D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, A. Wittenberg, and J.V. Anderson. 2019. Potential benefits to the environment by integrating winter camelina in current cropping systems of the northern Great Plains of the USA. In European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. 27-30 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 June 2019).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Samarappuli, D. M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, A. Wittenberg, and S. Podder. 2019. Flax fiber as a Material for Renewable Uses. Annual EpsCor Conference, Fargo, ND. 27 March 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wittenberg, A. M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, and S. Podder. 2019. Industrial applications of processed camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] seed oil and meal. Annual EpsCor Conference, Fargo, ND. 27 March 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019. Interseeding, nutrient cycling, alfalfa-corn intercropping, and winter camelina studies. Annual Coordinated Agricultural Program (CAP) project. Fargo, ND, 26-27 March, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cabello-Leiva, S. and M.T. Berti, 2019. Cover Crops Decrease Initial Water Content, Sugarbeet Yield, and Residual N-NO3 in the northern Great Plains. 35th Annual Plant Science Graduate Student Symposium. Fargo, ND, 16-15 March, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019. Cover crops North Dakota report. Midwest Cover Crops Annual Conference. Springfield, IL. 20-21 February 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T., D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, A. Wittenberg, S. Cabello, and G. Pourhashem. 2019. Goal 2 GrowND: Identify potential industrial crops suitable for North Dakota and the region Monthly CSMS conference. Fargo, ND. 13 February 2019. Invited speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. and K. Sedivec. 2019. Cover crops selection and timing. Grazing Cover Crops Workshop, Grand Forks, ND, 28 January 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T., D. Samarappuli, and C. Pourhashem. 2019. Environmental impact of crops and agricultural residues as feedstocks for bio-based product development. In 5th Latin-American Biorefineries Congress, Concepcion, Chile 7-9 January, 2019. Keynote speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2018. Where to start with cover crops. 14th Annual Conservation Tillage Conference, Fargo, ND, 18-19 December 2018. Invited speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Franzen, D., A.F. Wick, H. Bu, L. Ressler, J. Bell, M.T. Berti, and C. Gasch, 2018. Nitrogen non-cycling from cover crops grown before corn and spring wheat- Unexpected early project results. Northern AgExpo. Fargo, ND, 28 November 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T., S. Podder, D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, and W. Zegada-Lizarazu. 2018. Forage sorghum: a good crops for forage and fuel production in the northern Great Plains in the USA. 2nd European Sorghum Congress Milan, Italy, 7-8 November 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cabello-Leiva, S., M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, D. Samarappuli, S. Podder, B. Andersen , and A. Wittenberg. 2018. Cover crops decreased soil N-NO3 prior to sugarbeet production in the northern Great Plains. ASA-CSSA International Annual Meetings, Baltimore, MD, 4-7 November 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Podder, S., M.T. Berti, S. Cabello-Leiva, B. Andersen, D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, J.V. Anderson, and A. Wittenberg. 2018. Chilling-tolerant forage sorghum as a potential bioenergy feedstock in North Central US. ASA-CSSA International Annual Meetings, Baltimore, MD, 4-7 November 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Patel, S. A.W. Lenssen, K. Moore, M.T. Berti, R.W. Gesch. 2018. Establishing field pennycress and winter camelina as cash cover crop in corn-soybean rotation systems. ASA-CSSA International Annual Meetings, Baltimore, MD, 4-7 November 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Andersen, B. and M.T. Berti. 2018. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) as a cover crop, intercrop and late-season forage in the Midwest. ASA-CSSA International Annual Meetings, Baltimore, MD, 4-7 November 2018
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019. Manage for winterkill. Forage Focus, August 2019. p.3.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019 Hybrid rye variety trial. Forage Focus, August 2019. p.9
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2019 Full-season cover crops mixtures for grazing. Forage Focus, March 2019. p. 6
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Peterson, A., D. Samarappuli, and M.T. Berti. 2019. Intersowing cover crops into standing soybean in the US Upper Midwest. Agronomy 9: 264 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9050264
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wittenberg, A., J.V. Anderson, and M.T. Berti. 2019. Winter and summer annual biotypes of camelina have different morphology and seed characteristics Ind. Crops Prod. 135:230-237
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Anderson, J.V., A. Wittenberg, H. Li., and M.T. Berti. 2019. High throughput phenotyping of Camelina sativa seeds for crude protein, total oil and fatty acids profile by near infrared spectroscopy. Ind. Crops Prod. 137:501-507
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Wick, A., M.T. Berti, and L. Briese. Starting with cover crops in North Dakota. Midwest Cover Crops Council cover crop recipe. Bull MCCC-102. Available at mccc.msu.edu.statesprovince/north-dakota/


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Includes farmers, crop consultants, extension personnel, and companies interested in forages, cover crops, and biomass crops Changes/Problems:The main challenge of this project has been funding for forage research. Although forages are the third most important crop in ND, forages do not have commodity groups funding and federal funding is very limited. Funding in energy crops is difficult to obtain since lignocellulosic derived biofuels are no longer seen as a potential alternative to energy security. Currently, cover crops is a research priority for USDA-NIFA and fortunately I have been able to secure research funding for the next two years. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training: In 2018, I have been the major advisor of six graduate students Alex Wittenberg, MS (Expected May 2020), Morphological difference between winter and summer types of camelina. Bryce Andersen, MS (Expected May 2019) Interseeding of legume cover crops into corn. Swarup Podder, MS (Expected May 2019) Chilling-tolerance in forage sorghum. Sergio Cabello, PhD (Expected May 2020) Nutrient credits from cover crops in no-tillage system in the northern Great Plains. Alan Peterson, MS, (Expected May 2019) Interseeding camelina on standing soybean. Johanna Lukaschewsky, MS (Expected May 2019) Interseeding alfalfa into corn. Additionally, I am in the examining committee of 14 MS students. I had one undergraduate student intern working for three months in my project from Earth University, Costa Rica. Professional Development: My research in bioenergy crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations in 2018 Active member of the scientific committee and session chair of the Annual European Biomass Conference Active member of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. I am collaborating with Kansas State Univ. on the chilling-tolerance forage sorghum research project and I was invited to the World Sorghum conference in South Africa. My research in forages has provided several opportunities. I have continued my participation in the top forages organizations in the USA, National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance (NAFA), and Midwest Forage Association (MFA) (Board member) Thanks to my visibility in the forage research area I was past chair and now board representative of the C6, Forage and Grazinglands Division, CSSA. I am currently the ND representative and chair to the NCCC-31 Ecophysiological Aspects of Forage Management committee. My research in cover crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations and outreach: I am the ND representative to the NCCC-21 "Cover crops to improve agricultural sustainability and environmental quality in the upper Midwest" organizer of 2018 MCCC annual conference. I am member of the Soil Water Conservation Society. I have been invited as a speaker to numerous field days, plot tours, conferences, and winter talks with farmers about cover crops and forages in the state, region, USA, and other countries. I have been able to communicate to farmers the knowledge acquired in cover crops and forages in my research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Peer-reviewed publications, conferences and symposium presentations, extension publications, monthly CAP project conference calls, workshops, CAP project website, soil health website, forages website, phone calls, field days, winter talk meetings, and plot tours. Two alfalfa publications were submitted and accepted in 2018. One not yet in the list since, it will be published in 2019. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Four publications including research results from the CAP grant are in preparation and expected to be submitted by March 2019. I have obtained funding from several commodity groups to continue to work in cover crops. I will continue directing and working on the USDA-NIFA- and commodity groups-funded projects.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Impact statement The forage program at NDSU is the only program that provides non-biased information to farmers on the performance of forages in ND. Forages acreage, without including CRP or native rangeland, was 3,098,298 acres in 2017. Forages are the fourth most important crop in acreage in ND after wheat, soybean, and corn. The optimization of alfalfa management greatly impacts forage productivity. Diverse studies in alfalfa harvest management and fertility conducted by this project have demonstrated forage yield can be easily increased on average at least by 0.3 ton/acre/yr. Pure alfalfa acreage in ND in 2017 was 449,046 acres and alfalfa-grass mixtures 962,015 acres. An increase in forage yield of 0.3 tons/acre/year x 1,411,062 acres (alfalfa & alfalfa-grass mixtures) @ $100/ton of hay equals an economic impact of $42,331,852/yr. Alfalfa-corn intercropping allows alfalfa to get established in the corn year. This system increases alfalfa yield in Year 2 by2.5 tons/acre compared with a spring-seeded alfalfa. Corn yield decreases in 30 bu/acre due to competition with alfalfa. But in two years the gain of the system is about $160/acre (2.5 tons/acre x $100/ton - 30 bu/acre x $3/bu corn) or $80/acre/yr. The acres of corn silage-alfalfa rotation in ND are about 150,000 acres x $80= $1,200,000 in monetary impact. Determining the economic impact of bioenergy crops research is difficult because there is limited commercial production of energy crops in North Dakota. Forage sorghum can yield up to 10 tons of dry matter/acre at $30-50/ton, resulting in abiomass feedstock gross income of$300-500/acre. In 2017, forage sorghum acreage was 35,843 acres. At$30/ton value and an average yield of by 5 tons/acre as feed, the economic impact would be$5,376,450/yr. Legume cover crops planted after wheat in one of our studies reduced the need of fertilizing in corn by 80 lbs N/acre, but this is not likely to occur every year and in every field. Additionally, the research of interseeding cover crops into standing corn and soybean has indicated cover crops retain-30-50 lbs of N in their biomass, preventing nitrate leaching fromthe root zone of the cover crops. With a very conservative N credit of legume cover crops of only 20 lbs/acre, the economic value of reducing the fertilization in corn in 3,316,142 acres x 20 lbs N/acre saving x $0.3 lb N, is $19,896,858/yr. Cover crops forage value can add $30-$50/acre revenue by grazing. If only 10% of the wheat acreage (6,539,986 acres) was planted to cover crops for grazing after harvest, the economic impact would be $19,619,958/yr. In summary, the forages, biomass, and cover crops project at NDSU impacts the state's economy by: a) increasing alfalfa and other forages yield, b) decreasing N fertilizer rates in corn, c) increasing soil health and crop yields in the long term, and d) providing additional forage for grazing in the fall. Total potential economic impact to the state= $88,425,118 annually. Obj. 1. Forage crops In 2018, activities included testing alfalfa varieties and other forages. Results are published in the forages website (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsci/forage/index.html). Silage corn-alfalfa intercropping. This system can provide a head start for alfalfa skipping the typical low productivity of the seeding year. Also, an on-farm replicated strip-trial version of this experiment was conducted with promising results. Mixtures for forage grazing. Five forage mixtures werecompared totwo forage sorghum-millet blends. In summary, annual ryegrass, chicory, and plantain mixtures were the lowest yielding mixtures as well as turnip-hybrid brassica mixtures. Sorghum mixtures thatwere in a 2-cut system worked better than full-season 1-cut system sorghum mixes. Winter rye forage and silage variety trials. Seven silage hybrids and grain varieties were tested. The spring was very dry so in general both biomass and grain yield were low. Forage sorghum variety trial. As reported before, forage sorghum is the highest biomass yielding crop for forage in North Dakota. In a two cut systems, forage sorghum had both high forage yield and quality. Obj. 2. Bioenergy crops Forage sorghum chilling-tolerance. Forage sorghum's limitation as energy crop is its low chilling tolerance. The cultivar by date interactionwas significant for biomass yield, indicating some of the identified cultivars had greater yield when planted early in May. Life cycle assessment of forage sorghum-corn intercropping for biogas. Corn silage used for biogas production in Europe has a negative impact on the environment, by growing sorghum and corn together, silage yield and quality does not decrease and the environmental impact is minimized. Perennial forage grasses.Twelve different species of perennial grasses, eight cool-season and four warm-season grasses under rain-fed conditions have been evaluated annually since 2014 both for forage and potential as bioenergy crop. Life cycle assessment of energy crops and agricultural residues for sustainable materials development. This work was included to allow for a comprehensive literature review of seven energy, fiber, and oilseed crops (camelina, crambe, field pennycress, flax, industrial hemp, kenaf, and sorghum) used as feedstocks for sustainable materials. Obj. 3. Cover crops Cover crops variety and seeding date trial. The experiment was established in 2018 in Fargo on two seeding dates, July 30 and August 10. All results of biomass yield, and N accumulation of cover crops are available in the forages web page. Interseeding of cover crops in standing soybean to manage soybean cyst nematode (SCN). This study evaluated managing SCN by interseeding non-host crops into standing soybean. Results were mixed, but a trend of camelina to reduce SCN population was observed, also the soybean SCN-resistant variety was able to reduce SCN only in one location, indicating more than one HG SCN-type might be present. Interseeding of camelina and pennycress into standing corn and soybean. The experiment was conducted at three locations, Prosper, ND, Morris, MN, and Ames, IA from 2016 to 2018. Field pennycress and camelina seed yield was harvested in June and relayed-soybeans were harvested in September. Interseeding of legumes into standing corn. Five different cover crops were interseeded in two corn at two growth stages V8 and R4. Only faba bean and rye established well and reduced the available soil nitrate in the inter row of corn protecting it from potential leaching and runoff. N credits of cover crops to corn & sugarbeet. Several studies were established to determine N credits of cover crops to corn and sugarbeet. The results indicate legumes do provide some N credit to corn, but not to sugarbeet. Winter cover crops deplete soil moisture in the spring, reducing stand establishment in sugarbeet reducing yield thereafter. These studies are part of the CAP grant. Interseeding of cover crops into standing sugarbeet. Four cover crops were interseeded into standing sugarbeet in June and July. Cover crops did not reduce sugarbeet yield but significantly increased sugar content. Development of NIR calibrations for cool- and warm-season cover crops biomass and camelina seed. Calibrations for NIR forage quality and seed quality analysis were developed. New calibrations include protein, N, ash, and P content in warm- and cool-season cover crops biomass, forage sorghum and corn biomass at different developmental stages, and forage brassicas and seed oil, protein, and fatty acid composition for camelina seed. Additionally, we have full forage quality and seed quality calibrations for alfalfa and grass, wheat, soybean, and corn. Development of a methodology to identify winter from summer camelina seed types using seedling morphological parameters and NIR. A new method to quickly identify winter from summer camelina seed types was developed.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Andersen, B., M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, and S. Podder 2018 Integrating faba bean (Vicia faba Roth.) as cover crop, intercrop, and late-season forage .Production Agriculture Symposium Univ. of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN, 15 February 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cabello, S., M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, B. Andersen, A. Peterson, and S. Podder. 2018. Cover crops decreased soil nitrogen (N-NO3) previous sugarbeet production in the northern Great Plains Production Agriculture Symposium Univ. of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN, 15 February 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Podder, S., M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, and D. Samarappuli. 2018. Screening forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes for chilling-tolerance Production Agriculture Symposium Univ. of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN, 15 February 2018
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T. and D. Samarappuli, 2018. How does sowing rate affect plant and stem density, forage yield, and nutritive value in glyphosate-tolerant alfalfa? Agronomy 8:169 doi:10.3390/agronomy8090169
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Samarappuli, D. and M.T. Berti. 2018. Intercropping forage sorghum with maize is a promising alternative to maize silage for biogas production. J. Cleaner Prod. 194:515-524.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T., S. Podder, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, and J.V. Anderson. 2018. Chilling-tolerant forage sorghum as a potential bioenergy feedstock in North Central USA. In 26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition.14-17 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 August 2018).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Peterson, A., M.T. Berti, D.P. Samarappuli, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, and S. Podder. 2018. Maximizing cover crop performance by interseeding cover crops into standing soybean. 30th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Pathway to commercialization of Industrial Crops. London, Ontario, Canada 23-26 September 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2018. Is forage sorghum a good alternative crop for forage and biofuel in the northern Plains? Center for Sorghum Improvement Seminar. Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 8 January, 2018. Invited speaker
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T., 2018. Cutting management strategies of first-cut alfalfa. 2018. Forage Focus, May 2018, p. 10.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T., S. Podder, D. Samarappuli, and A. Peterson. 2018. Forage sorghum: a good crop for forage and fuel production in the northern Great Plains in the USA. In: Sorghum in the 21st century. Cape Town, South Africa, 9-13 April 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2018. Alfalfa-corn intercropping. Midwest Cover Crops Council Annual Conference, Fargo, ND, 13-14 March 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Peterson, A., M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, B. Andersen, S. Cabello, and S. Podder. 2018. Maximizing cover crop performance by interseeding into standing soybean. Midwest Cover Crops Council Annual Conference, Fargo, ND, 13-14 March 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Berti, M.T., B.L. Johnson, H. Kandel, J. Ransom, A. Wick, D. Franzen, D. Ripplinger, J. Nowatzki, A. Peterson, M.S. Wells, A. Lenssen, S. Patel, R.W. Gesch, F. Forcella, and H. Matthees. 2018. CROPSYS-CAP- A novel management approach to increase productivity, resilience, and long term sustainability of cropping systems in the northern Great Plains-Research Update. 30th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Pathway to commercialization of Industrial Crops. London, Ontario, Canada 23-26 September 2018. Keynote speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Wittenberg, A., M.T. Berti, D.P. Samarappuli, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, S. Podder, A. Peterson, and J.V. Anderson. 2018. Morphological characteristics of winter and summer biotypes of camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz.]. 30th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Pathway to commercialization of Industrial Crops. London, Ontario, Canada 23-26 September 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Anderson, J.V., A. Wittenberg, and M.T. Berti. 2018. Analysis of fatty acid profiles and percent oil and protein content in seeds of summer and winter-biotypes of Camelina sativa using near infrared spectroscopy. 30th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). Pathway to commercialization of Industrial Crops. London, Ontario, Canada 23-26 September 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Samarappuli, D., M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, Cabello, S., B. Andersen, A. Wittenberg, and S. Podder. 2018. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Potential as a Material for Renewable Uses. 3rd International Symposium Materials from Renewables 2018, North Dakota State University, Fargo. 17 July, 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Andersen, B., M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, and S. Podder 2018. Faba bean (Vicia faba Roth.) as cover crop, intercrop, and late-season forage. Midwest Cover Crops Council Annual Conference, Fargo, ND, 13-14 March 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cabello, S., M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, B. Andersen, A. Peterson, and S. Podder. 2018. Cover crops decrease soil nitrogen (N-NO3) previous sugarbeet production in the northern Great Plains. Midwest Cover Crops Council Annual Conference, Fargo, ND, 13-14 March 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Podder, S., M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, and D. Samarappuli. 2018. Screening forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes for chilling-tolerance. Midwest Cover Crops Council Annual Conference, Fargo, ND, 13-14 March 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Peterson, A., M.T. Berti, D. Samarappuli, B. Andersen, S. Cabello, and S. Podder. 2018. Maximizing cover crop performance by interseeding into standing soybean. Production Agriculture Symposium Univ. of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN. 15 Feb 2018.


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Includes farmers, crop consultants, extension personnel, and companies interested in forages, cover crops, and biomass crops. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In 2017, I have been the major advisor of seven graduate students Bryce Andersen, MS (Expected May 2019) Interseeding of legume cover crops into corn. Swarup Podder, MS (Expected May 2019) Cold-tolerance in forage sorghum. Sergio Cabello, PhD (Expected May 2020) Nutrient credits from cover crops in no-tillage system in the northern Great Plains. Alan Peterson, MS, (Expected Dec. 2018) Interseeding camelina on standing soybean. Johanna Lukaschewsky, MS (Expected May 2018) Production and economic analysis of alfalfa-corn intercropping. Dulan Samarappuli, Ph.D. (Graduated August 2017) Productivity and life cycle analysis of novel cropping systems in North Dakota. Osvaldo Teuber, Ph.D. (Graduated August 2017) Agronomic studies of forage brassicas and cover crops in North Dakota. Professional Development: My research in bioenergy crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations in 2017 Active member of the scientific committee and session chair of the Annual European Biomass Conference Past president and active member of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. I am collaborating with Kansas State Univ. on the cold-tolerance forage sorghum research project My research in forages has provided several opportunities for me. I have continued my participation in the top forages organizations in the USA, National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance (NAFA), and Midwest Forage Association (MFA) (Board member) Thanks to my visibility in the forage research area I was past chair of the C6, Forage and Grazinglands Division, CSSA and I am currently the ND representative to the NCCC-31 Ecophysiological Aspects of Forage Management committee. My research in cover crops has resulted in many direct and direct collaborations and outreach: I am the ND representative to the NCCC-21 "Cover crops to improve agricultural sustainability and environmental quality in the upper Midwest" committee (chair in 2016) and board member of the Midwest Cover Crop Council (2015-2017) and organizer of 2018 MCCC annual conference I am member of the Soil Water Conservation Society since 2017. I have been invited as a speaker to numerous field days, plot tours, conferences, and winter talks with farmers about cover crops in state wide and nationally. I have been able to communicate to farmers the knowledge acquired in cover crops in my research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Peer reviewed publications, conferences and symposium presentations, extension publications, bi-weekly CAP project seminar sessions, workshops, CAP project website, soil health website, forages website, phone calls, field days, winter talk meetings, plot tours. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two alfalfa publications are in preparation and to be submitted by March 2018. Four publications as results of the CAP project are in preparation and expected to be published in 2018. My students who graduated in August of 2018 are writing publications from their research projects. I expect them to publish four publications in 2018. I will continue directing and working on the NIFA-AFRI CropSys CAP and the Sungrant-USDA-NIFA projects. The research in both of these grants includes many of the objectives in my 2015-2020 hatch project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The forage program at NDSU is the only program that provides non-biased information to farmers on the performance of forages in ND. Forages acreage, without including CRP or native rangeland, was 2,876,816 acres in 2016. Forages are the third most important crop in acreage in ND after wheat and soybean. Alfalfa alone had more acres planted than each one of the following crops: oat, pea, lentil, flax, sugarbeet, and potato. The optimization of alfalfa management greatly impacts forage productivity. Diverse studies in alfalfa management and fertility conducted by this project have demonstrated forage yield can be easily increased on average at least by 0.3 ton/acre/yr. Pure alfalfa acreage in ND in 2016 was 419,756 acres and alfalfa-grass mixtures 948,883 acres. An increase in forage yield of 0.3 tons/acre/year x 1,368,639 acres at $100/ton of hay equals an economic impact of $41,059,170/yr. Alfalfa-corn intercropping allows alfalfa to get established in the corn year. This system increases alfalfa yield in Year 2 in 2.5 tons/acre compared with a spring-seeded alfalfa. Corn yield decreases in 30 bu/acre due to competition with alfalfa. But in two years the gain of the system is about $160/acre in two years (2.5 tons/acre x $100/ton - 30 bu/acre x $3/bu corn) or $80/acre/yr. The acres of corn silage-alfalfa rotation in ND are about 150,000 acres x $80= $1,200,000 in monetary impact. The impact of bioenergy crops research it is hard to value monetarily, since there is not commercial production of energy crops in ND yet. But forage sorghum can yield up to 10 tons of dry matter/acre at $30-50/ton for biomass feedstock gross income will be $300-500/acre. In 2017, forage sorghum acreage was 28,418 acres at $50/ton value as feed the economic impact equals $1,420,900/yr. Legume cover crops planted after wheat in one of our studies reduced the need of fertilizing in corn in 100 lbs N/acre but this is not usual. With a N credit of only 30 lbs/acre, the economic value of reducing the fertilization in corn in 3,376,026 acres x 30 lbs N/acre saving x $0.3 lb N, is $30,384,234/yr. Cover crops forage value can add $30-$50/acre revenue by grazing. If only 10% of the wheat acreage (7,438,535 acres) was planted to cover crops for grazing after harvest, the economic impact would be $22,456,050. In summary the forages, biomass, and cover crops project at NDSU impacts the state's economy by: a) increasing alfalfa and other forages yield, b) decreasing N fertilizer rates in corn, c) increasing corn yield in the long term, and d) providing additional forage for grazing in the fall. Total potential economic impact= $96,484,354 Obj. 1. Forage crops In 2017, activities included testing alfalfa varieties. Results are published in the forages website (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsci/forage/index.html). In 2017, the forages experiments included: a) Silage corn-alfalfa intercropping: The objective of this research was to evaluate the productivity and profitability of corn-alfalfa intercropping system. Corn grain yield decreases in about 30 bu/acre, but alfalfa forage yield in the next year increases in 2.5 ton/acre skipping the seeding year and benefiting of a full season of growth. This system can provide a head start for alfalfa skipping the typical low productivity of the seeding year. In 2017, the experiment was repeated at four locations, Forman and Prosper, ND, Rosemount, MN, and Ames, IA as part of the CAP project. The experiments will continue in 2018. Obj. 2. Bioenergy crops a) Forage sorghum cold tolerance. Forage sorghum was identified as the most promising bioenergy crop for North Dakota. Forage sorghum has great potential because of its high productivity even with limited water. Forage sorghum's limitation is its low cold tolerance which doesn't allow for an earlier seeding date. In 2017, 74 forage sorghum commercial cultivars and 10 check cultivars with cold tolerance were evaluated at 12 and 24. Screening identified eight promising cold-tolerant cultivars which were planted in the field on two seeding dates 10 May and 26 May. Cultivar by date was significant for biomass yield indicating some of the identified cultivars had greater yield when planted early in May. b) Life cycle assessment of double- and relay-cropping systems. I continue to work on LCA. One article was published in 2017 in Agricultural Systems and one article has been submitted to Bioenergy Research. c) Perennial forage grasses: The objective of this study was to determine the yield potential and biomass quality of 12 different species of perennial grasses, eight cool-season and four warm-season grasses under rain-fed conditions, in the Northern Great Plains. Obj. 3. Cover crops The CropSys CAP grant activities in 2017 included several experiment in cover crops: Cover crops variety and seeding date trial: The experiment was established in 2017 in Fargo on two seeding dates, July 27 and August 23. All results of biomass yield, and N accumulation of cover crops are available in the forages web page. Interseeding of cover crops in standing soybean: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of interseeding cover crops into soybean on yield, cover crop establishment, soil cover, and soil nitrate depletion in the inter-row. Four cover crop treatments were interseeded, Austrian winter pea, forage radish cv. Daikon winter camelina cv. Joelle winter rye cv. Rymin, a mixture of all four cover crops, and a check treatment with no cover crops. Cover crops were interseeded at the R4 and R6 reproductive stages of soybean in Fargo and Prosper in 2016 and 2017. Soybean grain test weight and yield were not affected by interseeding cover crops at any of the cover crops seeding dates or locations in 2016 or 2017. Soil NO3 in the inter row decreased significantly in plots with cover crops compared with the plot with no cover crop. This was observed in 2016 but not in 2017 due to the scarce growth of the cover crops due to drought. Wheat was planted in 2017 on the 2016 experiment to determine if any of the N on the cover crop cycle back to the wheat, but no significant differences were observed on grain yield nor in protein content. Interseeding of camelina and pennycress into standing corn and soybean Several experiments were designed by different researchers in the CAP project and their students to determine best cover crop adapted to grow under corn or soybean shade, best interseeding date, and other variables as row spacing and hybrid maturity. In general cover crops established well and did not reduce soybean or corn yield. Experiments started in 2016 and continued in 2017. Experiments locations, include, Forman and Prosper, ND, Waseca and Morris, MN and Ames, IA. Interseeding of legumes into standing corn The experiment was planted at Hickson and Prosper, ND. Five different cover crops, faba bean, forage pea, rye, balansa and red clover, were interseeded in two corn at two growth stages V8 and R4. Only faba bean and rye established well and reduced the available soil nitrate in the inter row of corn protecting it from potential leaching and runoff. Cover crop interseeder development; members of the CAP project developed a pilot interseeder. The planter belongs to the project and 200 acres of corn were interseeded with rye and radish at V8 stage of corn at two locations in ND. No corn yield was observed N credits of cover crops to corn & sugarbeet: Several studies were established to determine nitrogen credits of cover crops to corn and sugarbeet. Experiments will be continued next year. These studies are part of the CAP grant. Biostrips, polycultures: Strips of several flower and grasses mixtures were planted with the objective to increase pollen sources for bees while improving soil health.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., D. Samarappuli, B.L. Johnson, and R.W. Gesch. 2017. Integrating winter camelina into maize and soybean cropping systems. Ind. Crops. Prod. 107C:595-601 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2017.06.014.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., B.L. Johnson, D. Ripplinger, R.W. Gesch, and A. Aponte. 2017. Environmental impact assessment of double- and relay-cropping with winter camelina in the northern Great Plains, USA. Agricultural Systems 156C:1-12.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ciria, C.S., M.T. Berti, M. Kazula, and A. Peterson. Perennial grasses: biomass quality and yield comparison of 12 different species in the northern Great Plains of the United States. In 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition.11-14 June, 2017, Stockholm, Sweden. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 June 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Podder, S. M.T. Berti, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, B. Andersen, D. Samarappuli, and J. Anderson. 2017. Screening forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] genotypes for cold tolerance. 29th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC), Ames, IA, 10-13, September, 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Anderson, J.V., W.S. Chao, D.P. Horvath, R.W. Gesch, M.T. Berti. 2017. Progress towards developing early maturing winter varieties of Camelina sativa as oilseed cover crops for northern climates. 29th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC), Ames, IA, 10-13, September, 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Geiszler, M. J. Ransom, and M.T. Berti. 2017. Interseeding cover crops into corn: How much will they grow? In 15th Annual Nitrogen Use Efficiency Conference - Baton Rouge, LA. August 7-9 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti M.T. 2017. Use of cover crops to benefit soil health. Soil Health Workshop (Organic Systems) Carrington, ND. 18 July 2017. Invited speaker
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2017. Forage, biomass, and cover crops production research in North Dakota. Annual meeting of the NCCC-31 committee. 19-20 June, Lincoln, NE.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ciria, C.S., M.T. Berti, M. Kazula, A. Peterson. Perennial grasses: biomass quality and yield comparison of 12 different species in the northern Great Plains of the United States. In 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition.11-14 June, 2017, Stockholm, Sweden. Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 June 2017).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Acharya, K., G. Yan, A. Plaisance, and M.T. Berti. 2017. Reducing soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines populations by planting cover crops in infested soils. American Phytopathology Society. Urbana, IL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., and D. Samarappuli. 2017. Nutrient cycling potential of Camelina sativa as a cover crop in the northern Great Plains, USA. European Geosciences Union Conference, Vienna, Austria, 22-28 April, 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2017. Nutrient uptake by cover crops. How Far North Can We Grow? 49th Parallel Cover Crop Project. Innovation Working Group Meeting, Devils Lake, ND, 5 April, 2017. Invited speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T. and D. Toussaint. Interseeding cover crops into standing, corn, soybean, and sunflowers. 2017. Midwest Cover Crop Council Annual Conference. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 12-14 March, 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., O. Teuber, D. Samarappuli, A. Aponte, J. Lukaschewsky, A. Peterson, S. Cabello, S. Podder, B. Andersen, B.L. Johnson, K. Aasand, J. Ransom, M. Geizler, D. Ripplinger, A. Wick, D. Franzen, G. Yan, K. Acharya, M. Ostlie, S. Zwinger, C. Engel, E. Aberle, J. Teboh, J. Nielsen, D. Burr, T. Schroeder, S. Schaubert, E. Eriksmoen, C. Augustin, J. Nowatzki, R. Gesch, H. Dose, and J. Oberlander. 2017. Midwest Cover Crop council Annual Report 2016. Midwest Cover Crop Council Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 12-14 March, 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T. Interseeding cover crops into standing corn and soybean: what, when, and how. Production Agriculture Symposium University of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN. 22 February 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., 2017. What, when, and how to plant cover crops in the northern Great Plains. Annual Symposium Seed sales representatives. Agassiz Seed, Mapleton, ND. 9 February 2017 Invited speaker
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2017. Cover crops use in the Upper Midwest: What, when, and how. National Crop Insurance Services Annual Meeting. Fargo, ND, 5 January 2017. Invited speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., M. Kazula, D. Samarappuli, O. Teuber, J. Lukaschewsky, A. Aponte, A. Peterson, W. Yang and C. Ciria. 2017. Validating prediction models for on-farm alfalfa forage yields. Midwest Forage Assoc. Annual Symposium, Wisconsin Dells, WI, 23-25 January, 2017. Invited speaker.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Johnson, B.L., B.K. Hanson, M.T. Berti, T. Hakanson, L. Henry, V. Chapara, and P.J. Petersen. 2016. Industrial Hemp cultivar evaluations in North Dakota, In Proc. ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meetings, Phoenix, AZ. Nov. 4-9, 2016.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Franzen, D.W. and M.T. Berti. 2017. Alfalfa soil fertility requirements in North Dakota soils. Bull. SF1863. North Dakota State University Extension Service.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Franzen, D.W. and M.T. Berti. 2017. Fertilizing alsike clover, birdsfoot trefoil, red clover, and sweetclover in North Dakota. Bull. SF1865. North Dakota State University Extension Service.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T. 2017. Managing alfalfa under drought stress. Forage Focus, August 2017, Midwest Forage Assoc., St. Paul, MN.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., and D. Undersander. 2017. Do seeding rates increase yield and quality in the seeding year? Forage Focus, March 2017 p. 4 Midwest Forage Assoc., St. Paul, MN.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Berti, M.T., 2016. Frost damage in alfalfa: what to do after it? Crop and Pest Report No. 3, p-6-7. North Dakota State Univ. Ext. Serv. 19 May 2016. Available at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/cpr Patent(s) and Plant Variety Protection(s) (PVP)


Progress 10/07/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Includes farmers, crop consultants, extension personnel, and companies interested in bioenergy feedstocks. Changes/Problems:The main challenge of this project has been funding for forage research. Although forages are the third most important crop in ND, forages do not have commodity groups funding and federal funding is very limited. Funding in energy crops for the next 5 years will be difficult to obtain. Currently, cover crops is a research priority for NIFA and fortunately I was able to secure funding for the next four years. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In 2016, I have been the major advisor of six graduate students and one postdoctoral research: Sergio Cabello, PhD (Expected May 2020) Nutrient credits from cover crops in no-tillage system in the northern Great Plains Alan Peterson, MS, (Expected Dec. 2018) Interseeding camelina on standing soybean Johanna Lukaschewsky, MS (Expected May 2017) Economic and energy balance analysis of novel cropping systems Dulan Samarappuli, Ph.D. (Expected May 2017) Productivity and life cycle analysis of novel cropping systems in North Dakota Osvaldo Teuber, Ph.D. (Expected May 2016) Agronomic studies of forage brassicas and cover crops in North Dakota. Alfredo Aponte, PhD, graduated May 2016. Maciej Kazula, postdoctoral research associate CAP grant My research in bioenergy crops has resulted in many direct and indirect collaborations in 2016 Active member of the scientific committee and session chair of the Annual European Biomass Conference President and active member of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. Thanks to my international visibility in energy crops I was able to organize a study abroad course (PLSC379/779) in sustainable agriculture and renewable energies in Europe in the summer of 2016. My research in forages has provided several opportunities for me. I have continued my participation in the top forages organizations in the USA, National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance (NAFA), and Midwest Forage Association (MFA) (Board member) Thanks to my visibility in the forage research area I was past chair of the C6, Forage and Grazinglands Division, CSSA. I organized the Robert F Barnes Graduate student competition. at the CSSA national conference in Phoenix, AZ I am currently the ND representative to the NCCC-31 Ecophysiological Aspects of Forage Management committee. My research in cover crops has resulted in many direct and direct collaborations and outreach: I am the ND representative to the NCCC-21 "Cover crops to improve agricultural sustainability and environmental quality in the upper Midwest" committee (chair in 2016) and board member of the Midwest Cover Crop Council (2015-2017) I have been invited as a speaker to numerous field days, plot tours, conferences, and winter talks with farmers about cover crops in state wide and nationally. I have been able to communicate to farmers the knowledge acquired in cover crops in my research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Peer reviewed publications, conferences and symposium presentations, extension publications, bi weekly CAP project seminar sessions forages website, phone calls, field days, winter talk meetings, plot tours. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two alfalfa projects finished in 2016. I plan to write and submit publications of the studies finished in 2015 and 2016. My plan is to publish the alfalfa-grass mixtures long-term study (2 publ.), the seeding rate, plan density and prediction validation study (2 publ.). Also two of my PhD Students are graduating, at least four publications will come out of those thesis. I plan to add economic and life cycle analysis (LCA) to the cropping systems experiments already concluded. I will continue directing and working on the NIFA-AFRI CropSys CAP grant awarded in 2016 for 3.7 million dollars for cropping systems research including cover crops and forages. The research in this grant includes many of the objectives in my 2015-2020 hatch project. Also, I will continue working on the second year of Professional Development grant from SARE in cover crops with the objective of improving the knowledge of cover crops among farmers and county agents in North Dakota.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Obj. 1. Forage crops In 2016, activities included testing of private and public alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) 2016 results are published in the forages website (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsci/forage/index.html). In 2016, the forages experiments included: a) alfalfa seeding rate and plant density (last year), b) Validating prediction models for on-farm alfalfa forage yields - farmer's survey; c) corn -alfalfa rotational system, and e) slow P-releasing fertilizers on regrowth after harvest (last year). Alfalfa seeding rate and plant density: 2016 was the last year of this multi-location and year experiment. The results from the combined analysis across locations for each year of alfalfa indicated maximum forage yield in the seeding year, Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 was reached with 73, 52, 36, and 36 plants/m2 and 583,497,433 and 428 stems/m2, respectively. Alfalfa plants compensate yield as stand density decreases. Validating prediction models for on-farm alfalfa forage yields: In 2016, with the collaboration of ND county agents and farmers, 24 alfalfa fields were evaluated for forage yield, plants/m2 and stems/m2 in 1-3 cuts over the season. Predictive models generated with the controlled experiments from 2013-2016 indicated that stems/m2 predicts yields slightly better (r2=0.30) than plants/m2 (r2=0.0002), although the high variability in the data collected on-farm made difficult to generate one-fit-all models. Fields varied in age of alfalfa, plant height and growth stage at harvest plus the variation on seasonal rainfall. What was interesting is that both the models developed with controlled experiments from 2013-2016 and the models from on-farm samples in 2016 predicted that forage yield is maximized above 350 stems/m2. Silage corn-alfalfa intercropping: The objective of this research was to evaluate the productivity and profitability of corn-alfalfa intercropping system, with the aim to increase alfalfa productivity in the first year of production. This experiment was conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Corn biomass yield in monoculture was not different than the biomass yield in corn intercropped with alfalfa. Alfalfa intercropped with corn in 2014 and 2015 accumulated more than twice the biomass of alfalfa seeded in the spring of 2016. This system can provide a head start for alfalfa skipping the typical low productivity of the seeding year. P fertilizer in alfalfa: Slow release fertilizers applied after the first cut in the first year of production increased regrowth and forage yield in the second harvest. In 2016, plots were not fertilized to assess if the Crystal Green fertilizer had a residual effect on the year after. A slight residual activity was observed. Experiment was terminated. Obj. 2. Bioenergy crops Forage sorghum cold tolerance. Forage sorghum was identified as the most promising bioenergy crop for North Dakota. Forage sorghum has great potential because of its high productivity even with limited water. Forage sorghum's limitation is its low cold tolerance, which doesn't allow for an earlier seeding date. A project on forage sorghum cold tolerance was submitted to Sungrant and awarded. The project started in Sept. 1, 2016 Life cycle assessment of double and relay cropping systems.As indicated in my goals for this year, I learned to use the Simapro software for Life cycle assessment analysis (LCA). One publication was submitted to the Agricultural Systems journal in September 2016 (under review). Perennial forage grasses: The objective of this study was to determine the yield potential and biomass quality of 12 different species of perennial grasses, eight cool-season and four warm-season grasses under rain-fed conditions, in the Northern Great Plains. Grasses were established in August of 2015. The species with the highest yield was tall wheatgrass (TWG) [Thinopyrum ponticum (Podp.) Z.-W.Liu & R.-C. Wang] (11.3 Mg DM/ha) significantly higher than all other species except for red canarygrass (RCG) (Phalaris arundinaceae L.) (10.15 Mg DM/ha). Biomass quality varied among grasses and harvest date. Ash content was higher in the second harvest compared with the first harvest, in most grasses. Lignin content was higher in western wheatgrass (WWG) [Pascopyrum smithii (Rydb.) A.] in the first harvest compared with the second harvest, while lignin content was similar between harvests in all other grasses. Cellulose content was in general higher in the second harvest in all crops. Nitrogen uptake was similar among all grasses in the first harvest, but significantly lower in the second harvest. The gross calorific value (GCV) of the biomass was higher in the first harvest in IWG, MB, and TWG. Oppositely, the GCV in RCG and OG was higher in the second harvest. Slender wheatgrass [Elymus trachycaulus (Link) Gould ex Shinners] had the highest GCV value (138.8 MJ/ha). Cool-season grasses such as TWG and RCG have great potential to become biomass feedstocks for bioenergy or biofuels. Obj. 3. Cover crops The CropSys CAP grant activities in 2016 included several experiment in cover crops: Cover crops variety and seeding date trial: The experiment was established in 2016 in Fargo on two seeding dates, July 28 and August 20. All results of biomass yield, and N uptake are available in the forages web page. Interseeding of cover crops in standing soybean:The objective of this study was to determine the effect of seeding cover crops into soybean at two late stages of development, on soybean yield, cover crop establishment, potential negatives effects to soybean quality, and soil cover. Four cover crop treatments were seeded between the soybean rows: Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum L.), forage radish cv. Daikon (Raphanus sativus L.), winter camelina cv. Joelle (Camelina sativa L.), winter rye (Secale cereale L.) cv. Rymin, a mixture of all four cover crops, and a check treatment with no cover crops. Cover crops were interseeded at the R4 and R6 reproductive stages of soybean on 25 and 26 July for R4 in Fargo and Prosper, respectively and on 16 August for R6. Preliminary results indicate soybean grain moisture, test weight and yield were not affected by interseeding cover crops at any of the cover crops seeding dates or locations. This indicates cover crops interseeded into soybean at R4 or R6 did not compete with soybean. Interseeding of camelina and pennycress into standing corn and soybean (CAP project) Several experiments were designed by different researchers in the CAP project and their students to determine best cover crop adapted to grow under corn or soybean shade, best interseeding date, and other variables as row spacing and hybrid maturity. In general cover crops established well and did not reduce soybean or corn yield. Cover crop interseeder development; members of the CAP project developed a pilot interseeder. The planter belongs to the project and 200 acres of corn were interseeded with rye and radish at V8 stage of corn at two locations in ND. No corn yield was observed Nitrogen credits of cover crops to corn: Several studies were established to determine nitrogen credits to corn. Experiments will be continued next year. These studies are being conducted by two members of the CAP grant. Biostrips, polycultures: Strips of several flower and grasses mixtures were planted with the objective to increase pollen sources for bees while improving soil health.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Berti, M.T., R.W. Gesch, C. Eynck, J. Anderson, and S. Cermak. 2016. Camelina uses, genetics, genomics, production and management. Ind. Crops Prod. 94:690-710.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wick, A. M.T. Berti, Y. Lawley, and M. Liebig. 2016. Integration of annual and perennial cover crops for improving soil quality and health In M. Al-Kaisi and B. Lowery (Eds.) Soil Health and Intensification of Agroecosystems. Elsevier Publ.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2016 Citation: Berti, M.T., A. Aponte, B.L. Johnson, and D. Ripplinger. 2016. Environmental sustainability of double- and relay-cropping of food, feed, and fuel crops in the northern Great Plains, USA. In 24th European Biomass Conf. and Exhibition.5-9 June, 2016, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Available at http://www.etaflorence.it/proceedings/index.asp (verified 10 December 2016).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Berti., M.T., B.L. Johnson, R.W. Gesch, J. Ransom, H.H. Kandel, M. Kazula, M.S. Wells, and A. Lenssen. 2016 Integrating camelina into corn and soybean cropping systems. p. 9 In Berti, M.T. and E. Alexopoulou (Eds.) 28th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC), Rochester, NY, 14-19 September, 2016. Johnson, B.L., B.K. Hanson, J. Kostuik, M.T. Berti, P.J. Petersen. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) stand establishment and yield in North Dakota. p. 20 In Berti, M.T and E. Alexopoulou (Eds.) 28th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC), Rochester, NY, 14-19 September, 2016. Berti, M.T., J. Lukaschewsky, and M. Kazula. 2016. Alfalfa silage corn interseeding in North Dakota. North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference, Trifolium Conference and Grass Breeders Conference. Madison, WI. 12-14 July, 2016. Maharlooei, M., S.A. Mireei, A. Shirzadifar, S. Sivarajan, S.G. Bajwa, M.T. Berti, and J. Nowatzki. 2016. Feasibility study of employing Vis/NIR Spectroscopy to estimate crude protein (CP) in alfalfa crop. ICPA 2016 conference. Berti, M.T., O.Teuber, D. Samarappuli, A. Aponte, J. Lukaschewsky, H. Kandel, B. Johnson, D. Ripplinger, A. Wick, C. Heglund, F. Kutka, M. Ostlie, S. Zwinger, M. Liebig, J.R. Hendrickson, D.W. Archer, M.A. Schmer, K.A. Nichols, and D.L. Tanaka. 2016. North Dakota report 2015. Annual Midwest Cover Crops Council conference. Madison, WI, 23-24 February, 2016. Berti, M.T., 2016. Cover crops as tools to improve soil health: Research update. Crop Expo 2016, Soybean/Dry bean program, Grand Forks, ND, 17-18 February 2016.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Berti, M.T., 2016. Frost damage in alfalfa: what to do after it? Crop and Pest Report No. 3, p-6-7. North Dakota State Univ. Ext. Serv. 19 May 2016. Available at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/cpr Berti, M.T., 2016. Has your alfalfa been winter-killed or winter-injured? Forage Focus, March 2016 p. 4 Midwest Forage Assoc., St. Paul, MN. Berti, M.T., 2016. Cover crops in corn silage production provide many benefits Clippings. Midwest Forage Assoc. February 2016. Available at http://www.midwestforage.org/newsletter/160225clippings.htm