Starting in 2007, ORC&D in partnership with Crop Care Hawaii, LLC, University of Hawaii CTAHR, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC), began conducting a total of 14 cover crop demonstrations throughout the State of Hawai`i.  The demonstrations evaluate cover crops in a variety of agricultural settings; ranging from short term row crops (e.g. seed corn and tomatoes) to long term orchard crops (coffee and Koa).  Demonstrations are located on the islands of O`ahu, Molokai, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island.

Each site consists of demonstration plantings of the cover crops sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), and oats (Avena sativa) as well as a combination of sunnhemp + buckwheat and sunnhemp + oats. In some cases, the cover crops are being planted prior to the cash crops, data collected, and the cash crops planted on the cover cropped areas. In the case of established plantings, cover crops are inter-cropped.

The economic impact of the cover crops to the agricultural system will be determined by assessing the contribution, if any, of the cover crop to the productivity and potential increased yield of the associated cash crop.  In all cases, the land managers were consulted to establish a demonstration that fit into the current agriculture system and crop rotations.

"Sustaining the Future"  Article published in Agriculture Hawaii, July-Sept 2009, includes information on the partnership between Oahu RC&D and Pioneer Hi-Bred International to implement cover crops in seed corn production.

Benefits of Cover Crops        Cover Crop Trials        Additional Photos