Sources of funding
Cover crops
Overview
Cover crops, catch crops and green manures are non-cash crops that provide potential benefits to a rotation. Typically, cover crops are grown over a single winter to cover bare soil and stubble. However, the duration of the cover can vary from a few weeks to several months or years, depending on the approach and the specific objective.
A species selection tool to assess the suitability of brassica, legume, cereal and other cover crop varieties. Each species is profiled for its winter hardiness, rooting depth, grazing potential, and nitrogen-fixing and nutrient-storing qualities. The tool also includes information on sowing period and depth, and seed size and seed rate.
​Providing information based on current understanding on how to select, deploy, manage and make the most of specific cover crops against identified end uses.
A project aimed to address some of these issues by characterising the performance of a range of cover crop species, both individually and in mixes of increasing complexity, under field conditions, and by performing a cost/benefit analysis on the systems used.
Other information
A report looking at the potential benefits of cover cropping, from soil structuring, nitrogen recycling, soil erosion and reducing nutrient leaching to help improve water quality.
Agrovista: cover crop and environmental stewardship
A guide to cover crop and environmental mix selection and management
A guide to cover crop and environmental mix selection and management
Advice on cover crop destruction to help pave the way for successful spring cover crop establishment.
PGRO trials investigating the effect of cover crops on vining pea development with special reference to pea foot rot interactions.
CCC are an independent agronomy service provide an overview of cover crops, some agronmic considerations and the pros and cons of their use.
An important part of the resources section is linking openly to other websites which offers access to more detailed information and a chance to check out a different perspective. We select links we consider suitable and relevant to the subject and whilst external links are reviewed on a regular basis NIAB cannot accept responsibility for the content of external internet sites. The inclusion of a link should not be seen as an endorsement of that website or the site’s owners, products or services.