Erosion TTool/Implementation of a cover crop (intermediate crops)
From Triple Performance
Cover crops are plants sown between two cash crops (intercrop). These cover crops, in addition to covering the soil, can have various functions (trapping mineral elements, returning these mineral elements to subsequent crops, maintaining organic matter, producing a crop for fodder, controlling weeds, promoting biodiversity, ...).
These cover crops can consist of a single species (mono-species) or several species whose benefits can be complementary.
Description
Advantages
- Allows soil coverage during a long intercrop period.
- Reduces runoff and increases water infiltration.
- Traps sediments in the soil and limits crusting.
- Can be useful as a nitrate trap (catch crops (CIPAN)).
- Soil structuring effect and facilitation of straw decomposition (sowing on stubble).
Disadvantages
- Establishing the cover crop requires specific conditions (good moisture after a rainy episode).
- Adaptation of equipment (seeder).
Advice
- The implementation of a cover crop complements very well the reduction of tillage (no-till farming).
- If no no-till under cover, destruction (preferably mechanical) of the crop before sowing a spring crop depending on the soil water status (to avoid drying out the soil) and maintaining cover crop residues on the soil surface.
- Caution, the destruction of the cover crop must be carried out during periods of low Erosion risk (avoid periods of heavy rain).
- Stubble cultivation of the previous crop with a tined tool rather than discs depending on the soil (avoids too fine stubble cultivation).
- The choice of species to include in the cover crop is important. To limit Soil erosion, it is better to favor species mixtures in order to:
Regulation
- Ecological Focus Area (EFA): 1 m² catch crop = 0.3 m² EFA with establishment between 07/01 and 10/01.
- Nitrate vulnerable zones: Obligation of catch crops (CIPAN): trap nitrates to preserve water quality and serve as green manure + mechanical destruction.
