USA: Lupin used as winter cover crop boosts summer sorghum yield
Sorghum
Lupin
United States
Published Jun 28, 2022
Tridge summary
Lupin is a well-known garden flower, and is an important part of a healthy habitat. Lupin grows rapidly and puts nutrients back into the soil. (Lupin is commonly referred to as "lupine" for those familiar with this plant.)
Original content
Lupin belongs to a family of plants known as legumes. Legumes build up nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is crucial for plant growth, flowers, and fruits. Legumes like lupin make nitrogen available in the soil for other plants that would not otherwise have access to the precious nitrogen. Due to its resilience, lupin has real potential as a winter cover crop for farmers and growers.Joseph Knoll, research geneticist (plants) for the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) located in Tifton, GA, and his team evaluated several species of legumes, including narrowleaf lupin, at two farm locations in Georgia. The study focused on how lupin can serve as a winter cover crop and how it can affect subsequent high-biomass sorghum and cotton yields. As Knoll attests, "you can see the difference in height and greenness of the plants."The study was published in Agronomy Journal.Sorghum, a highly productive biomass crop, can vary greatly in crop appearance. Some crops may grow as tall, green ...
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