Establishing a cover crop by aerial broadcast. A big advantage of aerial seeding of cover crops is that more acres can be seeded in less time than with ground equipment. Aerial application also allows seeding to be done when it is physically impossible to use ground equipment, such as when crops are present, or the soil is too wet for regular equipment. Seeding, germination, and growth of cover crops can begin even before the existing crop has been harvested. This is especially important in areas where there is a very small window of opportunity between crop harvest and the end of the growing season. Waiting to seed a cover crop until after crop harvest may result in poor stand establishment due to cold temperatures or moisture stress. Aerial seeding is always more risky than drilling or incorporation of the seeds, so it’s important to have the right soil surface and weather conditions at seeding time.
|
Group |
Seed Type |
Season |
1 |
Small Grains (rye, wheat, barley, oats, triticale) |
|
2 |
Ryegrass (annual, perennial) |
|
3a |
Small Seeded Brassicas (mustards, rape, canola, turnips, radishes) |
|
4 |
Small Seed Legumes (clovers, medics, trefoils, alfalfa) |
|
5 |
Large Seeded Legumes (beans, vetch, peas, lupine, cowpeas) and buckwheat |
Madison Municipal Airport
|