Ryan and Isabelle tested whether a crimped cover crop of rye and hairy vetch reduced tillage, cultivation and irrigation for their fall broccoli crop.

In a Nutshell

• Compared to tillage, the cover crop residue provided sufficient mulch to significantly reduce weeding time and increase soil moisture throughout the growing season by 11%. There was adequate rainfall, so they didn’t need to use irrigation in the tillage plots.
• Broccoli grown in crimped cover crop mulch had around half the marketable yield compared to the tilled plots.
• The yield loss combined with no difference in total labour made this no-till system as tested unviable for broccoli production.

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