Farmers around the world face a long list of problems, including: climate change, urban sprawl And soil degradation, among others. To tackle these challenges, researchers are looking for solutions and have begun to focus their work on feasibility. sustainable farming practiceslike cover crops.
Calls for protection are additional products that can be integrated with the main product or used to cover the terrain as a shield. protect the soil from the corrosive effects of wind, rain and high temperatures outside the main production cycle.
Cover crops are planted shortly after harvest and ‘destroyed’ before planting the next cash crop.
Cover crop roots help stabilize and improve soil by absorbing and storing excess nitrogen fertilizer. It may be present in the soil after a commercial crop harvest.
they also help Preventing manure and sediment from seeping into waterways and harms freshwater ecosystems.
The most common types of plants used as cover crops are: herbs (wheat, rye, oat, barley…), brassicas (radish, turnip, canola, mustard…) and legumes/fabaceae (peas, broad beans, peas, clover…). This practice is highly appreciated in crop rotation, no-till and organic farming..
Key role in soil health
“By affecting soil organic carbon (SOC), Cover crops play a key role in shaping soil health and therefore the long-term sustainability of the system.The first sentence of a report on the benefits of cover crops just published in the Journal of Agronomy.
The research provides an overview of what the authors say.conservation agriculture technology“, using cover crops as a strategy minimizing land degradation, climate change challenges and food insecurity issues in developing countries.
They also analyzed the effect of cover crops on SOC and greenhouse gas emissions coupled with field experiments in maize growing systems, through a meta-analysis of previous studies.
Prominent among the findings of the researchers, Cover crops increase SOC by 7.3%. This is a significant amount because carbon is the measurable component of soil organic matter and The main factor that determines the quality of the land. A higher percentage of organic carbon in the soil is indicative of greater soil health.
“As a last resort, Cover crops take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and ‘bury’ it in the soil“, explains Deepak Joshi, one of the study’s authors. “This means that the crops are covered. helps to improve the growing climate problem as well as soil health“, To add.
High carbon ‘retention’ rate
Researchers discovered that cornfields with cover crops have a high SOC ‘retention’. They calculated that 29.12 million Mg (megagrams or metric tons) of SOC could be ‘captured’ each year if all US cornfields were using cover crops, equivalent to 107 million metric tons of CO2.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this figure is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 23.8 million gasoline-powered vehicles used during one year.
“Our results show that current cover crop-based maize production systems sequester 5.5 million Mg SOC per year in the United States and have the potential to retain 175 million Mg per year globally,” said Joshi.
“The result is that cover crops improve soil microorganisms, moisture and carbon. And finally, “also increase crop yield For the next harvest season,” he adds.
The meta-analysis showed that the adoption of cover crops increased maize yields by 23%.
As early as 2021, an international study with the participation of CSIC, the University of Alicante and the University of Rey Juan Carlos revealed that: Increases vegetation yield of cereal crops increases agricultural and soil biodiversity, climate regulation and soil fertility.
The results of this study demonstrated the importance of extending the vegetation period on the grain crop beyond the limitations imposed by the climatic conditions of the region. For example, the use of cover crops to close the time gap between the grain harvest and the formation of the next crop.
Reference report: https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/agj2.21340
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