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Cover Crops - Select Wisely Options Are Many
Green manure increases percentage of biomass in farm soil and thus improves aeration, water retention and other field characteristics. Leguminous green manure like clover or vetch contains symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the root nodules. It converts atmospheric nitrogen in the form usable by plants. Roots of some green manure grow deep in soil and bring up the rich resources of nutrients, which are unavailable for shallow-rooted crops. Weed suppression, soil compaction and soil prevention are other benefits, which have been proven by numerous studies and the non-technical farmers worldwide. Some cover crops used for getting green manure if allowed for flowering, provide forage for the insects, which are necessary for the crops as well as for the humans. Cover crops are primarily grown to prevent soil erosion by water or wind. Cover crops can be grown annually or bi-annum. There are different kinds of cover crops, so we can choose the best according to the weather. If cover crops are grown to reduce nutrients leaching following the main crop, these are termed as "catch crops." We can divide cover crops according to the weather also: Winter Cover Crop Winter cover crop is planted during late summer to provide a cover over the field during winter season. Rye and Hairy vetch are popular winter cover crops that can face extreme cold weather conditions. Clovers, medics, field peas and vetches are also becoming popular especially in southern U.S. Sometimes these are used with cereal grains such as rye, oats or wheat. Summer cover crop It is planted to protect the land from during summer season. Summer season cover crop is used to maintain crop rotation. It helps to improve poor soils as well as to prepare land for perennial crop. Crops like cowpeas, soybeans, sweet clover, crotalaria, velvet beans, sesbania and guar etc are popular summer green manure crops. These have been proved a great source of l nitrogen and organic matter. Sorghum-Sudan grass, forage sorghum, buckwheat or millet etc are also grown to provide smother weeds and biomass. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com About the Author:- Jonnie T. Allen is writing articles for slyagri, We specialize in agriculture Development by cover crops, cover crop farming, Strip tillage, strip cat and many more… |
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