Cover Crops and Sustainable Agriculture

This book provides information on the benefits of using cover crops in agriculture, including soil health, soil structure, water quality, nutrient contributions, soil biodiversity, air quality, and climate change. It also includes details on how to choose cover crops for specific applications and locations, how to plant them, manage and maintain them, and how to terminate them. Cover crops are an economic input with an expected return on investment and can help with pest and disease management.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 26 June 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book serves as a valuable resource for cover crop management, offering insights into the diverse benefits of individual cover crops and blends/mixes for specific agronomic crop rotations and geographic locations. Through detailed descriptions, photographs, and illustrations, readers gain a visual understanding of how cover crops appear in the field, showcasing their plant height, leaf architecture, and rooting patterns. The book delves into the long-term advantages of cover crops, encompassing soil health, soil structure, water quality, nutrient contributions, soil biodiversity, air quality, and climate change.

In addition to providing an understanding of the reasons behind cover crop usage, the book offers practical guidance on the hows of cover crop implementation. It covers topics such as selecting suitable cover crops for specific applications and locations, determining the optimal planting timing and methods, managing and maintaining the cover crops for maximum benefit, and determining the appropriate termination timing. Various planting options are explored, including drilling/planting between rows of an agronomic crop at planting time, aerial seeding with airplanes or high-clearance machines shortly before maturity, and drilling/planting immediately after harvest. Selected cover crops can also play a role in pest and disease management.

Recognizing the economic value of cover crops, the book emphasizes their role as an investment with an expected return on investment. When integrated as part of a continuous no-till system, cover crops provide sustained biological, chemical, and structural benefits. These benefits include improved water infiltration and water holding capacity, enhanced nitrogen availability, deeper rooting, and increased soil microbial activity in the root zone. By nurturing the soil, cover crops contribute to the overall productivity and sustainability of agricultural systems.

This comprehensive guide is an essential resource for farmers, agronomists, and anyone interested in enhancing soil health, improving crop yields, and promoting sustainable agriculture practices. It provides valuable insights into the diverse benefits of cover crops and empowers individuals to make informed decisions about incorporating them into their farming operations.

Weight: 603g
Dimension: 254 x 178 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032034430