Six-foot Corn Plants In Drought-Struck Maryland

August 12, 1999

On a test field at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center there are green corn plants towering six feet over protective organic mulch despite the soil-parching drought that has hit the area. Nearby, corn planted in bare soil won't be worth harvesting.

The contrasting plots are among 17 research experiments on display at the center's seventh annual sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management field day on Wednesday. The secret of the test corn's ability to cope with drought is a legume called hairy vetch, grown as a cover crop. Killed before the corn was planted, the vetch forms a dense mat that holds in water and slows down evaporation.

It also supplies natural nitrogen fertilizer. Scientists at the center also have been developing vetch-based systems for growing tomatoes that are being adopted by some growers in the region. They also are testing similar cover crops with peppers, cantaloupes, snap beans and other vegetables.

More information is available at or from Jim Anderson at (301) 504-6537.