Effect of Common Vetch (<i>Vicia sativa</i> L.) Green Manure on the Yield of Corn in Crop Rotation System

Abstract

Regenerative farming systems are gaining increasing attention in crop production worldwide. The challenge of the future is to find and apply farming methods that not only reduce the carbon footprint of cultivation, but also produce sustainably through an optimal choice of inputs. We set up our crop rotation experiment in 2019 in order to evaluate the role of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) as a green manure crop in a crop rotation system. The results were compared with nitrogen fertilizer (80 kg ha−1 N) and control (no green manure and no fertilizer) treatments. Based on the three years of results, it can be concluded that the biomass production capacity of common vetch sown in August is determined by the amount of precipitation in October under continental climatic conditions. In an optimum year for corn, common vetch as a forecrop was found to be equivalent to the effect of fertilizer application at all three applied seed rates, but under stress conditions in a drought year, significantly higher corn yields were obtained when common vetch green manure was applied. Our results suggest a justified role for the use of common vetch green manure in crop rotation systems.

Keywords

• crop rotation
• green manure
• cover crop
• common vetch
• corn
• biomass