A cover crop is a temporary vegetative cover that is grown to provide protection for the soil and the establishment of plants. Many types of plants can be used as cover crops. Legumes and grasses (including cereals) are the most extensively used, but there is increasing interest in brassicas (such as rape, mustard, and forage radish) and continued interest in others, such as buckwheat. The table below provides links to existing practical information on the use of cover crops in agriculture.
This page is constantly under review, and its contents may change.
| Title | Language | Country | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover Crops: A practical guide to soil and system improvement | EN | UK | Guidance document | Information on the selection and management of cover crop options | |
| Opportunities for cover crops in conventional arable rotations | EN | UK | Fact sheet | UK AHDB Cereals and Oils document introducing cover crops and providing case studies. |
|
| Green Manure and cover crops in organic systems: guide to choosing species | FR, EN, IT | France | Guidance document | A detailed description of each species that can be used to guide farmers choice. | https://organic-farmknowledge.org/tool/30573 |
| A review of the benefits, optimal crop management practices and knowledge gaps associated with different cover crop species | EN | UK | Report | Comprehensive review of cover crops in the UK | https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1165709/rr90.pdf |
|
GREATsoils Videos/Webinars
|
EN | UK |
Videos/ Webinars |
AHDB website providing information in the form of videos. | https://horticulture.ahdb.org.uk/greatsoils-videoswebinars |
|
Cover Crop: Farmer experiences |
EN | UK | Real Life Case Studies | These publications feature farmers talking about their experiences using cover crops |
https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1083447/1_Peter-Cartwright.pdf https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1083450/2_Richard-Reed.pdf https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1093321/3-David-Blacker-v2.pdf https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1083435/4_Phil-Jarvis.pdf (SoilCare Study Site) https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1083438/5_Tom-Bradshaw.pdf https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1083441/6_Russ-McKenzie.pdf https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/1083444/7_Jake-Freestone.pdf |
| Cover Crop Basics | EN | US | Guidance document | A Cover Crop Guide including information on understanding quality, seed cost, species information and performance as well as recipes for success | https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/59338734/cover-crop-basics-getting-started |
| Conserving Water with Cover Crops | EN | Germany | Article | Discussion on the consumption of water by cover crops | https://www.dsv-seeds.com/export/sites/dsv-seeds.com/extras/documents/interesting-articles/Innovation-3-2016_CONSERVING-WATER-WITH-COVER-CROPS.pdf |
| Boosting on-farm soil organic matter with cover/catch crops | EN, IT, SP, PL | Fact sheet | Fact sheets from the EU SmartSOIL project |
http://smartsoil.eu/fileadmin/www.smartsoil.eu/WP5/Factsheets/ SmartSOIL_factsheet_cover-crops.pdf (EN) http://smartsoil.eu/fileadmin/www.smartsoil.eu/WP5/Factsheets/SmartSOIL_factsheet_cover-crops-italian-final.pdf (IT)http://smartsoil.eu/fileadmin/www.smartsoil.eu/WP5/Factsheets/SmartSOIL_factsheet_cover-crops-spanish-final.pdf (SP)http://smartsoil.eu/fileadmin/www.smartsoil.eu/WP5/Factsheets/SmartSOIL_factsheet_cover-crops-polish-final.pdf (PL) |
This page is constantly under review, and its contents may change.
