Over the winter, annual ryegrass roots keep growing, even when the top growth has been dormant for months. In some cases, where farmers have been using annual ryegrass for more than 3 years, the root system can be as deep as 5 feet.
The value for the corn and soybean crops that follow is enormous. Annual ryegrass grows through the compacted layers during the winter and creates “macropores” that crop roots will follow this summer. In dry and drought years, those extra feet of root depth make the difference between crop failure and success; between a disappointing harvest and a home run.
In field tests in Southern Indiana a couple years ago, a farmer saw a difference of 50 bushels an acre difference between a field with annual ryegrass (5 years) and a field with no cover crop.
Tags: Annual ryegrass, cover crop, deep rooting, macropores, No-Till, soil compaction
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