Table 2.
Cover crop systems, species, cultivars, seed mixture ratio, and seeding rate used in this study.
| Cover crop system | Scientific name | Cultivars | Seed mixture ratio | Seeding rate (kg PLS/ha)a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monocultures | ||||
| Annual ryegrass | Lolium multiflorum Lam. | Hercules | 34 | |
| Oat | Avena sativa L. | Goliath | 112 | |
| Faba bean | Vicia faba L. | Bell | 56 | |
| Yellow sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam | VNSb | 17 | |
| Winter pea | Pisum sativum subsp. Arvense | Montech 4193 | 56 | |
| Mixtures | ||||
| Mix 1c | 50:25:25d | 36 | ||
| Mix 2c | 50:25:25d | 84 | ||
| Control | ||||
| Fallow | ||||
a
Pure live seed (PLS).
b
Variety not stated (VNS).
c
Mix 1 (composition: annual ryegrass + faba bean + yellow sweetclover) and Mix 2 (composition: oat + faba bean + winter pea).
d
The grass-legume-legume cover crop mixtures were formulated based on the recommended seeding rate of each species planted alone. The mixture comprised 50 % of the grass seed rate, 25 % of the first legume seed rate, and 25 % of the second legume seed rate.