Using cover crops to go back to a sustainable form of agriculture offers several benefits; some see these benefits within a year of adoption, others see them in later years.
IMMEDIATE BENEFITS
- Preventing the growth of weeds: Plants selected for green manure develop rapidly, covering the terrain quickly and thereby preventing the growth of weeds.
- Recovering nitrogen: nitrogen fertilisation is challenging for many types of (grass) cultivation so the nitrogen residue after cultivation is absorbed and stored by these plants, thus preventing them from being washed away.
- The supply of nitrogen from nitrogen-fixing plants: A pure leguminous crop can fix large amounts of nitrogen absorbed from the air inside the plant. Once underground, the proteins inside the plant are broken down, releasing the nitrogen.
LONG-TERM BENEFITS
- The increase of organic substance offers various benefits such as improved soil structure and therefore increased infiltration ability, increased water retention, increased air circulation in the layers above the ground.
- Breaking the ground surface: Tillage plants break the ground surface.
- The increase of biological activity in the terrain, that is, the increase of micro-organisms and invertebrates. The consequence is greater biodiversity and greater ability to react to external stimuli.
When choosing the right composition of green manure mixture, you have to know your purpose in cultivating. Is it to have:
- a strong supply of nitrogen
- a strong supply of organic substance
- or whether you aim to improve the land structure.
SEMINART offers solutions adapted to every requirement. Go to the COVER CROPS page.
Go to the article published by Veneto Agricoltura for more information:
http://www.venetoagricoltura.org/upload/pubblicazioni/Risultati%20Sperimentali%202009/11%20Sovesci.pdf
