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Mono-, Relay-, and Double-Crop Production Systems in Northwest Ohio

ANR-100
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Date: 
10/07/2021
Author 2021: Laura Lindsey, Associate Professor, Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University
Author 2021: Eric Richer, Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension

Producers are often interested in ways to diversify and intensify their cropping systems to improve profitability and sustainability. One potential way to improve profitability is by harvesting two crops in the same year through either relay-intercrop (RI) systems (planting a second crop prior to harvest of the first crop) or double-crop (DC) systems (planting a second crop after harvest of a first crop) (Figure 1).Crop field with rows of wheat and soybean being grown next to one another.

This fact sheet compares the yield and profitability of several RI, DC, and mono-crop (MC) systems (planting and harvesting a single crop in one year) in a northwestern Ohio environment.

Cropping systems are listed below with planting and harvesting dates shown in Table 1.

  1. MC soybean
  2. MC red clover
  3. MC wheat planted in narrow row (NR) width of 7.5-inches
  4. MC wheat planted in wide row (WR) width of 15-inches
  5. Wheat in NR + DC soybean
  6. Wheat in NR + RI red clover (red clover was frost-seeded in March or April)
  7. Wheat in WR + RI soybean (soybean planted into winter wheat at wheat heading)
  8. Wheat in WR + RI red clover
  9. Wheat in NR + DC oat
Table 1. Cropping system treatments, row width, and planting and harvesting dates during the 2015–2016, 2016–2017, and 2017–2018 cropping years at the Northwest Agricultural Research Station in Custar, OH.
Treatment Crop Row width (inch) Year 1 Planting and Harvesting dates Year 2 Planting and Harvesting dates Year 3 Planting and Harvesting dates
1. MCa soybean Soybean 15 May 25 2016 Oct 14
2016
May 6
2017
Oct 19
2017
May 24
2018
Oct 24 2018
2. MC red clover Red clover Broad-cast Apr 5 2016 Oct 8 2016 Mar 9 2017 Oct 25 2017 Apr 13 2018 Oct 12 2018
3. MC wheat NRb Wheat 7.5 Sep 28 2015 Jun 30 2016 Oct 12 2016 Jul 3 2017 Sep 29 2017 Jul 5 2018
4. MC wheat WRc Wheat 15 Sep 28 2015 Jun 30 2016 Oct 12 2016 Jul 3 2017 Sep 29 2017 Jul 5 2018
5. Wheat NR + DCsoybean Wheat 7.5 Sep 28 2015 Jun 30 2016 Oct 12 2016 Jul 3 2017 Sep 29 2017 Jul 5 2018
Red clover 15 Jul 1 2016 Oct 25 2016 Jul 6 2017 Nov 14 2017 Jul 5 2018 Oct 24 2018
6. Wheat NR + RI red clover Wheat 7.5 Sep 28 2015 Jun 30 2016 Oct 12 2016 Jul 3 2017 Sep 29 2017 Jul 5 2018
Red clover Broad-cast Apr 5 2016 Oct 8 2016 Jun 6 2017 Oct 25 2017 Apr 13 2018 Oct 12 2018
7. Wheat WR + RI soybeanf Wheat 15 Sep 28 2015 Jun 30 2016 Oct 12 2016 Jul 3 2017 Sep 29 2017 Jul 5 2018
Soybean 15 May 25 2016 Oct 14 2016 Jun 6 2017 Oct 19 2017 May 29 2018 Oct 24 2018
8. Wheat NR + RI red clover Wheat 15 Sep 28 2015 Jun 30 2016 Oct 12 2016 Jul 3 2017 Sep 29 2017 Jul 5 2018
Red clover Broad-cast Apr 5 2016 Oct 8 2016 Mar 9 2017 Oct 25 2017 Apr 13 2018 Oct 12 2018
9. Wheat NR + DC oat Wheat 7.5 Sep 28 2015 Jun 30 2016 Oct 12 2016 Jul 3 2017 Sep 29 2017 Jul 5 2018
Oats 7.5 Aug 4 2016 Oct 8 2016 Aug 28 2017 Oct 25 2015 Aug 10 2017 Oct 12 2018
aMC - monocrop, single crop produced during the cropping year.
bNR - narrow row, crop planted in 7.5-inch row width.
cWR - wide row, crop planted in 15-inch row width.
dDC - double crop, crop planted after winter wheat harvest.
eRI - relay intercrop, red clover planted into winter wheat during the late winter or early spring ("frost seeded").
fRI relay intercrop, soybean planted into winter wheat at Feekes 10.1 to 10.5 growth stage (wheat heading).

 

Bar graph showing wheat grain yields in monocrop, relay intercrop, and double crop systems for 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and an average of the three years.Wheat grain yield - Wheat grain yield for each cropping system is shown in Figure 2. Across the three trial years, MC wheat planted in the NR system produced the same grain yield as the wheat NR + RI red clover, wheat NR + DC soybean, and wheat NR + DC oat. This suggests that RI red clover, frost-seeded in March or April did not have a negative impact on wheat-grain yield. Grain yield was reduced by 9–12% in the MC wheat WR system and the wheat WR + RI red clover system compared with the MC wheat NR system. Previously conducted trials in northwest Ohio have also noted a reduction in wheat yield when planted in WR compared with NR (Richer and Lindsey 2016). The wheat WR + RI soybean system resulted in the lowest wheat grain yield, which was 23% lower than the MC wheat NR system. Yield reductions in the wheat WR + RI soybean may be attributed to planting wheat in WR, mechanical damage from soybean planting equipment, and plant competition (Chan et al. 1980; Duncan and Schapaugh Jr. 1997; Lindsey Lindsey, Lentz, and Baik 2016; Moomaw and Powell 1990; and Reinbott et al. 1987).

Soybean grain yield - Soybean grain yield for each cropping system is shown in Figure 3. Bar graph displaying soybean grain yields in a monocrop, relay intercrop, and double crop system through 2015-2016, 2016-2017- 2017-2018, and an average of the three years.Across the three cropping system years, soybean grown as a MC had yields that were 69 and 189% greater than soybean grown as a RI and DC, respectively. Reduced soybean yield in the RI system was likely due to competition with wheat plants. Yield reduction in the DC system was likely due to late soybean planting dates because the DC soybean was planted in early July, whereas the RI soybean was planted in late May or early June (Table 1). The soybean planting date has been identified as the management factor that most consistently influences soybean grain yield when soil moisture is not limited during pod-setting (Edreira et al. 2017). In Ohio, delaying soybean planting after May 1 resulted in yield losses of up to 0.6 bushels per acre per day.

Red clover forage biomass - Bar graph displaying red clover forage biomass yields in a monocrop and relay-intercrop system from 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and an average of the three years.Red clover forage biomass is shown in Figure 4. Across the three-year study, red clover forage biomass was the same for the MC red clover, wheat NR + RI red clover, and wheat WR + RI red clover cropping systems. This indicates that winter wheat (grown in NR or WR) did not affect the yield of the red clover likely because red clover can establish and survive in low light and the plants are competitive when grown under a canopy (Snapp, et al. 2005).

Cropping system profitability - Using grain prices and input prices from each year of the study, the most profitable cropping system was wheat WR + RI red clover and wheat NR + RI red clover. Although winter wheat (WR and NR) + RI red clover was among the most profitable systems, producers need to consider the marketability of red clover. In years when alfalfa is in short supply, there is a good market for red clover; however, if alfalfa supply is adequate, there is less demand for red clover.

Cropping systems with the next highest profitability included MC soybean and wheat WR + RI soybean. Producers would likely choose MC soybean production over multi-crop systems to reduce workload and management associated with planting, harvesting, and maintaining two crops within the same cropping year. However, in years with high wheat prices and red clover prices and relatively low soybean prices, the multi-crop systems may be more profitable than the soybean MC system.

Cropping systems with the lowest profitability included MC wheat NR, MC wheat WR, and MC red clover. Although MC winter wheat was among the least profitable systems, growers may still want to include wheat into their corn-soybean rotations due to the environmental benefits associated with fall-planted crops, such as reduced soil erosion, reduced nitrate loss, and increased soil organic matter (Kelley, Long, and Todd 2003; Sainju et al. 2002; Kessavalous and Walters 1999; and Kingyangi et al. 2001). This research suggests that if producers want to include winter wheat into their crop rotations, growing winter wheat + RI red clover or soybean can improve profitability. Additionally, farmers may be eligible for cost-share payments that further incentivize planting winter wheat through federal and state government programs.

This fact sheet was based on the peer-reviewed publication: Shrestha, Ray K., Eric Richer, William B. Clevenger, Matthew, Davis, and Laura E. Lindsey. 2021. “Effect of mono-, relay-, and double-crop systems on yield and profitability.” Agronomy Journal Volume 113, Issue 2: 1747–1757.

Acknowledgments

We thank the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program for funding this project.

References

Cassida, Kim. 2019. “When alfalfa winterkills, what can you do?” Michigan State University Extension, Department of Crop, Soil, and Microbial Sciences.

Chan, L. M., R.R. Johnson, and C.M. Brown. 1980. “Relay intercropping soybeans into winter wheat and spring oats.” Agronomy Journal Volume 72, Issue 1: 35–39.
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Duncan, S.R., and W.T. Schapaugh Jr. 1997. “Relay-intercropped soybean in different water regimes, planting patterns, and winter wheat cultivars.” Journal of Production Agriculture Volume 10: 123–129.

Edreira, Juan I.Rattalino, Spyridon Mourtzinis, Shawn P. Conley, Adam C. Roth, Ignacio A. Ciampitti, Mark A. Licht, Hans Kandel, Peter M. Kyveryga, Laura E. Lindsey, Daren S. Mueller, Seth L. Naeve, Emerson Nafziger, James E. Specht, Jardon Stanley, Michael J. Staton, and Patricia Grassini. 2017. “Assessing causes of yield gaps in agricultural areas with diversity in climate and soils.” Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Volume 247: 170–180.
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Lindsey, Laura E., Edwin Lentz, and Byung-Kee Baik. 2016. “Row Width Influences Wheat Yield, But Has Little Effect on Wheat Quality.” Crop, Forage, & Turfgrass Management Volume 2, Issue 1: 1–7. 
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Moomaw, Russell S., and Timothy A. Powell. 1990. “Multiple Cropping Systems in Small Grains in Northeast Nebraska.” Journal of Production Agriculture Volume 3, Issue 4: 569–576.
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Reinbott, T.M., Z.R. Helsel, D.G. Helsel, M.R. Gebhardt, and H.C. Minor. 1987. “Intercropping Soybean into Standing Green Wheat.” Agronomy Journal Volume 79, Issue 5: 886–891.
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Sainju, Upendra M., Bharat P. Singh, and Sidat Yaffa. 2002. “Soil Organic Matter and Tomato Yield following Tillage, Cover Cropping, and Nitrogen Fertilization.” Agronomy Journal Volume 94, Issue 3: 594–602.
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Originally posted Oct 7, 2021.
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