Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), common vetch (V. sativa L. 'Cahaba W
hite'), arrowleaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum Savi 'Yuchi'), crimson
clover (T. incarnatum L. 'Tibbee'), red clover (T. pratense L. 'Redla
nd II'), yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.), buckwheat (Fagopyrum
sagittatum Gilbert),hairy indigo (Indigofera hirsuta L.),bahiagrass (
Paspalum notatum Flugge 'Pensacola'), common bermudagrass [Cynodon dac
tylon (L.) Pers.], and centipedegrass [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro)
Hack] were grown for 3 years in a 3 x 3-m spacing around young pecan [
Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] trees. Compared to weed-free p
lots, all cover crops suppressed tree growth substantially, and there
were no differences among cover crops in the degree of suppression. Me
an trunk cross-sectional area of weed-free trees increased 26-fold by
the end of the third growing season but increased only 13-fold for tre
es grown with any cover crop. These results suggest that cover crops,
if grown in young pecan orchards to promote beneficial insects, should
be excluded from the immediate area around the young trees.