Tag Archives: irrigation

Economic Considerations of Growing Bee-Friendly Cover Crops in Almond Orchards: Grower and Beekeeper Perspectives

Authors: Marieke Fenton and Brittney Goodrich

View full publication here: s.giannini.ucop.edu/uploads/pub/2023/02/15/v26n3_3.pdf

Planting bee-friendly cover crops in almond orchards can improve honey bee colony health and lower beekeepers’ costs of feeding, while also providing soil health benefits. However, for the full bee-health benefits to be realized, growers must plant in the fall and receive timely rains or have access to irrigation between orchard rows. In this publication, the authors review benefits and considerations for both growers and beekeepers of this potentially mutually beneficial practice.… Read the rest

Irrigated Warm Season Cover Crops for Western Oregon

Link: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/orpmcsr13158.pdf

Cover crop use is increasing in the Pacific Northwest, but information is not readily available on the growth potential, biomass production, adaptability, and bloom period of warm season cover crop species and/or varieties for this region. A study was conducted in 2015−2016 at the United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Plant Materials Center in Corvallis, Oregon to evaluate commercially available summer cover crops for the Willamette Valley of western Oregon. The replicated trial included ten warm- season species that were evaluated for emergence, canopy cover, vigor, pest and disease susceptibility, bloom period, plant … Read the rest