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  • From: Steve Diver <steved AT ncat.org>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Re: does rapeseed winterkill?
  • Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 17:28:34 -0500

Rapeseed comes in both spring and winter varieties.

"Brassica campestris is primarily a spring annual, and B. napus a
winter annual, (although both have winter and spring varieties)."

In Oklahoma, Zone 7, we grew some rapeseed from Johnny's Selected
Seeds as a fall-planted winter annual just like winter wheat . It flowered
the next spring (and turned the field bright yellow) followed by ripening
in June.
If you're looking for a winter-killed cover crop that provides a lot
of biomass, in addition to sorghum-sudan you can look at
Japanese millet. If you are looking for the brassica effect (as an
alternative to winter-hardy rapeseed) you can look at oilseed radish
(Raphanus sativus) which grows in cool weather but winter kills and
leaves a decent crop residue.
See:

Oregon Cover Crops: Rapeseed
http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/html/EM/EM8700/EM8700.html

Cover Crops for Ontario: Oilseed Radish
http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/facts/cover_crops01/oil_radish.htm

Oilseed Radish (Michigan)
http://www.kbs.msu.edu/Extension/Covercrops/InfoSheets/oilseed_radish.htm

Summer Cover Crops: North Carolina
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-37.html

Regards,
Steve Diver






  • [Market-farming] Re: does rapeseed winterkill?, Steve Diver, 07/20/2004

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