Cover crops summary

Excerpt

Cover crops have proven to be a viable part of cropping systems and a great benefit to the soil and the ecosystem. If these factors are true, then why are cover crops not more extensively used in agriculture and what remains to be proven to foster this adoption? The Conference on Cover Crops, Soil Quality, and Ecosystems provided a useful scientific exchange and visits to farms that have been using cover crops as part of their management practices. There has been a great deal of effort directed toward documenting the value of cover crops on the changes in soil attributes, effects on environmental quality, and increase in the value of the cropping system in terms of economics, and disease, insect, and weed management; however, the transfer of this technology is still lagging.

Cover crops represent part of a balanced ecosystem in which environmental quality, ecological health, and agricultural productivity are viewed as critical components. This balance is achieved through understanding the role of biological, chemical, and physical processes that occur within the soil profile with the use of cover crops. There is an increased understanding of the soil processes and the role of cover crops in mediating short-term and …