WINETECH Technical Yearbook 2020

phacelia’s biomass was poor and the mixture, comprised of three different oats species with stooling rye, performed reasonably well. The importance of top- dressing was illustrated by the clear difference in the density and height of the stands between the ‘top-dressed’ and non- ‘top-dressed’ treatments. Stellenbosch Site: Kanonkop, Simonsberg Soil description: High potential Oakleaf Sowing date: Early May 2019 The mixture of white mustard and forage rye produced excellent biomass on this soil type and performed somewhat better than the mixture of forage oats, triticale and forage peas. The rye produced good biomass, while the triticale was average in terms of biomass production. The mixture of oats and stooling rye worked well with the stooling rye producing notable biomass. The phacelia and radish were patchy where these species had been sown by hand, as was the faba bean cover (one of the challenges of small scale field trials). Where these cover crops had been sown in another section of the block using the planter, results were far better with even, dense growth. Where the phacelia was sewn using the planter, it produced an excellent stand with purple flowers which attracted many bees. The medics which had been sown by

Recommended sowing rate kg/ha

Approximate seed cost R/ha

Treatment

Performance

Forage rye + bitter lupines

30 + 20 30 + 15

Excellent

650 700 630 675 580 750 693 805

Forage rye + forage peas

Very good

White mustard + oats + vetch

1.5 + 20 + 6

Good

Rye

45

Average

Bitter lupines + vetch

40 + 8

Good Good Good

Triticale

100

Premix: Oats (3 species) + stooling rye

40

Phacelia

7

Average

Medics in the work row at Vlakkenheuwel, Hermon.

Wellington Site: Oliphantskop

Soil description: Weathered granite Sowing date: Mid-late April 2019 The mixtures of forage rye with peas and forage rye with bitter lupines were the best performers on this challenging soil type, providing good biomass and weed suppression. The rye, bitter lupines and vetch produced average biomass. The

Forage rye and bitter lupines at Oliphantskop, Wellington.

WINETECH TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2020 133