If annual ryegrass is part of your rotation now, you will have noticed that - come this time of year - things dry out and crop roots start heading south looking for moisture. Annual ryegrass accommodates that better than in the old days, when conventional tillage would’ve created a layer of compacted soil that roots hit…and then go horizontal.
Once the compaction is broken up by the annual ryegrass roots, soil below becomes like new territory. Soybean and corn roots readily follow the macropore channels created by the annual ryegrass. In dry years, and particularly when a pattern of drought emerges, having a deep rooted cover crop like annual ryegrass will definitely boost production, in some cases making the difference between a good crop and no crop at all.
Tags: Annual ryegrass, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, deep rooting, macropores, No-Till corn and soybean, soil compaction
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