Bids Are Invited For Residual Soil Nitrate Trial - 000526

Vgn Resources Group Inc. (Vgn) Will Be The Program Administrator For Projects Under The Ministry Of Agriculture And Foods (Ministry) Extension Programming For Environment And Climate Change. This Rfp And Project Is Administered By Vgn On Behalf Of The Ministry.Residual Soil Nitrate, Present In The Soil Root Zone During The Dormant Season, Is Susceptible To Losses Through Both Denitrification And Leaching. N Losses Through Denitrification Are Typically As Nitrous Oxide, A Major Greenhouse Gas Source From Agriculture. Nitrates Lost To The Environment Pose Human And Environmental Health Concerns And Increases Nitrogen Input Costs.Corn Silage, Grown Annually As A Feed Source Requires Large Amounts Of Nitrogen (N) For Optimal Growth And Yield. Agricultural Fields Grown With Silage Corn Typically Have Large Amounts Of Residual Nitrate At The End Of The Growing Season And Are Therefore Extremely Susceptible To N Losses Through Denitrification And Leaching.In Many Agricultural-Intensive Regions Of B.C., Particularly The North Okanagan, Several Strategies For Reducing Residual Fall Nitrate Have Not Been Thoroughly Investigated. One Important Strategy Is The Use Of Cover Crops To Take Up Residual Soil Nitrate That Can Also Be Used As A Green Feed In The Spring.Cover Crops Are Annual Crops That May Be Planted With The Specific Purpose Of Removing Excess Nitrate From The Soil And Providing Winter Soil Cover. In The North Okanagan, Many Dairy Producers Do Not Plant A Cover Crop After Crop Harvest, Leaving Soil Nitrate Susceptible To Denitrification Or Leaching. The Producers That Do Plant A Cover Crop Typically Plant Cereal (Fall) Rye, As Information On Nitrate Uptake, Regional Suitability, And Forage Quality On Other Crops (Such As Barley, Wheat, Or Triticale) In This Region Is Limited.The Main Goal Of This Project Is To Establish Two On-Farm Research/Demonstration Trials In The North Okanagan To:Determine The Nitrate Uptake Potential Of Different Cover Crop Species, Such As Barley, Rye, Triticale, And Wheat, And Determine The Yield, Forage Quality, And Crop N Uptake Of The Cover Crop Species.