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In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion , soil fertility , soil quality , water, weeds , pests , diseases, biodiversity and wildlife in an agroecosystem —an ecological system managed and shaped by humans.
Techniques for improved soil conservation include crop rotation, cover crops, conservation tillage and planted windbreaks, affect both erosion and fertility. When plants die, they decay and become part of the soil. Code 330 defines standard methods recommended by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service. Farmers have practiced soil ...
Cover crops then need to be killed so that the newly planted crops can get enough light, water, nutrients, etc. [35] [36] This can be done by rollers, crimpers, choppers and other ways. [37] [38] The residue is then planted through, and left as a mulch. Cover crops typically must be crimped when they enter the flowering stage. [39]
The United States aims to double the country's cover crop plantings to 30 million acres by 2030 under a new Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation program launched on Monday.
A variant is strip cropping where multiple rows of a crop form a strip, beside a strip of another crop. A cover crop involves planting a species that is not a crop, such as grasses and legumes, alongside the crop. The cover plants help reduce soil erosion, suppress weeds, retain water, and fix nitrogen.
Limitations to consider in the use of green manure are time, energy, and resources (monetary and natural) required to successfully grow and utilize these cover crops. Consequently, it is important to choose green manure crops based on the growing region and annual precipitation amounts to ensure efficient growth and use of the cover crop(s).
Other systems aim for maximum plant density and have no such organisation. Forages are grown in that manner since animal traffic is expected, and maximum plant density is required for their nutrition, as are cover crops, since their purpose of competing with weeds and preventing soil erosion depends largely on density. [7]
The most common crop choices for strip cropping are closely sown crops such as hay, wheat, or other forages which are alternated with strips of row crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, or sugar beets. [1] The forages serve primarily as cover crops. In certain systems, strips in particularly-eroded areas are used to grow permanent protective ...
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