Cover Crop Series: White Wonder Foxtail Millet
White Wonder Foxtail Millet is adapted to a broad range of soil textures. Differences between this and other varieties of foxtail millet are generally minor. Foxtail millets can grow tall enough to lay over under high fertility conditions but are generally short statured. Foxtail millets have a relatively short growth season of about 45 days. Seed produced on foxtail millet cover crops can create volunteer stands, and it is not uncommon to see seedlings growing in manure pats of cows grazing mature plants. Seeding rate was 16 pounds per acre.
The plots were drill planted in 7.5 inch rows in a clean-tilled and culti-packed seedbed on May 16, 2017, at the Noble Research Institute Headquarters Farm in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on a Weatherford fine sandy loam. Planting depth was shallow, about 0.5 inch, in a dry seedbed, and 2.33 inches of rain fell over the next three days. There was no fertilizer, insecticide or herbicide applied to the crops, and pigweed pressure in the field was very heavy. Rainfall was below average after establishment.
The Noble Research Institute is testing dozens of cover crop species with potential to help build soil health in the Southern Great Plains. This series features the cover crops we've grown on our Headquarters Farm in southern Oklahoma. These videos explore our results on establishment and growth, ground cover potential, and weed control for each crop.
