Partial Budget Analysis of Summer Fallows for Organic Nutrient and Weed Management in Florida

Partial budget analyses of five summer fallow treatments in Florida preceding a cash crop of summer squash ( Cucurbita pepo ) were conducted. The five treatments were sunn hemp ( Crotalaria juncea ), velvet bean ( Mucuna deeringiana ), cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata ), sorghum-sudangrass ( Sorghum bicolor × S. bicolor var. sudanense ), and tillage. Costs were estimated for each summer fallow treatment, including the cost of seed, inoculant, implementation, management, and termination. Benefits were calculated in terms of contributions to the following cash crop of summer squash in the form of biologically fixed nitrogen and reduced weed pressure. Results showed that total production costs were minimized by cover crops, even though implementation costs were higher than for tillage.