Everything from Agriculture Salinity Demonstrations Ezra Aberle North

Everything from Agriculture Salinity Demonstrations Ezra Aberle North Dakota State University Carrington Research Extension Center Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of the legumes Sesbania & Sweet clover 70. 0 60. 0 plants/ft 2 50. 0 40. 0 Sesbania 30. 0 Sweet clover 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of Amaranth, Quinoa, & Sunflower 70. 0 60. 0 plants/ft 2 50. 0 40. 0 Sunflower Amaranth 30. 0 Quinoa 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of the brassicas Rape & Spinach 70. 0 60. 0 plants/ft 2 50. 0 40. 0 Spinich 30. 0 Rape 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of the brassicas Kale & Ethiopian cabbage 70. 0 60. 0 plants/ft 2 50. 0 40. 0 Kale 30. 0 Ethiopian cabbage 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of Borage & Camelina 70. 0 60. 0 plants/ft 2 50. 0 40. 0 Camelina 30. 0 Borage 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of the beets Detroit Dark Red & Sugar beets 70. 0 60. 0 plants/ft 2 50. 0 Detriot Dark Red (Table Beets) 40. 0 Sugarbeet 30. 0 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of the beets Early Wonder & Yellow mangles 70. 0 60. 0 Yellow mangle plants/ft 2 50. 0 Early Wonder (Table Beets) 40. 0 30. 0 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of the warm season grasses Siberian millet & Sorghumsudangrass 70. 0 60. 0 Sorghumsudangrass Siberian millet plants/ft 2 50. 0 40. 0 30. 0 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo Performance of the cool season grasses Barley & Fall Rye 70. 0 60. 0 plants/ft 2 50. 0 40. 0 Fall Rye 30. 0 Barley 20. 0 10. 0 2. 0 4. 0 6. 0 EC 1: 1 8. 0 10. 0 12. 0 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Salinity Cover Crop Demo • Sesbania is the most tolerant legume tested however seed cost prohibits extensive use • Most of the brassicas and types of beets performed similarly • The cool season grasses of barley and rye performed well • The warm season grass Siberian millet performed fairly well • With these areas we need to think about production vs. cost. With that in mind bin run barley, rape or canola, and the finger millets will provide some cover at a reasonable cost Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Perennial Salinity Demo The Carrington Research Extension Center, Foster and Stutsman County SCDs, North Dakota NRCS, and the USDA- NRCS - Plant Materials Center - Bismarck are conducting a demonstration in two locations near Carrington and one near Buchanan evaluating selected perennial grass and legume species across a salinity gradient. Species List: Smooth Bromegrass - Rebound Tall Wheatgrass – Alkar Slender Wheatgrass – Revenue Western Wheatgrass – Rodan Canada Wild rye - Mandan Beardless Wild rye – Shoshone Hybrid Wheatgrass - New. Hy Green Wheatgrass - AC Saltlander Commercial Mix Creeping Foxtail – Garrison Switchgrass – Forestburg Prairie Cordgrass - Red River Prairie Cordgrass - CREC Germplasm Strawberry Clover - O'Conners Alfalfa – 12 varieties/lines Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Cover crop research at the CREC Creeping foxtail Canada Wildrye Meadow Bromegrass Smooth Bromegrass Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Cover crop research at the CREC Photo courtesy of Susan Muske Canada Wildrye Tall Wheatgrass Beardless. Wildrye Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Cover crop research at the CREC New. Hy Wheatgrass Western Wheatgrass Tall Wheatgrass Slender Wheatgrass Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Cover crop research at the CREC Photo courtesy of Susan Muske New. Hy Wheatgrass Switchgrass Saltlander Forage Mix AC Saltlander Wheatgrass Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Perennial Salinity Demo Performance of 10 9 8 Yield Dry T/acre 7 6 Garrison Creeping Foxtail 5 Lincoln Smooth Bromegrass 4 Fleet Meadow Bromegrass 3 2 1 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 EC 1: 1 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Perennial Salinity Demo Performance of 10 9 8 Yield Dry T/acre 7 6 AC Saltlander Forage Mix 5 New. Hy Hybrid Wheatgrass 4 AC Saltlander Green Wheatgrass 3 2 1 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 EC 1: 1 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Perennial Salinity Demo Performance of 10 9 8 Yield Dry T/acre 7 6 Revenue Slender Wheatgrass 5 Alkar Tall Wheatgrass 4 Rodan Western Wheatgrass 3 2 1 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 EC 1: 1 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Perennial Salinity Demo Performance of 10 9 8 Yield Dry T/acre 7 6 Shoshone Beardless Wildrye 5 Mandan Canada Wildrye 4 Frostberg Switchgrass 3 2 1 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 EC 1: 1 Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Perennial Salinity Demo • Most of the wheatgrasses established similarly however yields differ in both quantity and quality • The wildryes also performed well but are more difficult to establish • The warm season grass switchgrass did not perform well • With these areas we need to think about production and cost. Determining the best fit for the producers needs based on EC’s and what their intended use is. Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel

Thank You. Growing our food, feed, fiber, fuel