Organic matter/ climate change and carbon sequestration Cover crops have the beneficial effects on your soil structure which includes the building up of soil organic matter. Soil organic matter is the organic fraction of the soil, formed from decaying organic material such as vegetation and animal deposition. Organic matter is often depleted by heavy tillage systems in arable farming. By growing cover crops and incorporating them into your soil, you are helping to reduce your farms carbon footprint as you are capturing the carbon otherwise released to the atmosphere into the soil. As well as reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, soil carbon sequestration can also improve soil health and its ability to retain warmth, moisture, and fertility; all of which are conducive to crop growth.
Weed control Growing a cover crop can form an integral part of an Integrated Weed Management programme. Certain species, such as White Mustard, Forage Rye have vigorous growth habits and typically outcompete which can suppress weeds. This natural suppression in weeds can lead to reduced herbicide use which is better financially and environmentally to the farmer. Other species, such as Black Oats may have some allelopathy effect on weed growth. Allelopathy is the secretion of natural chemicals by one plant to inhibit the growth of another. Better soil structure Cover crops which have vigorous rooting such as Black Oats and Forage Rye help promote good aggregation within the soil, opening pores for free movement of air and water which is essential for crop growth. Other species, such as Tillage Radishes have extremely strong tap roots which can break up compaction in soils thereby reducing the need for expensive machinery passes to break up the compaction. Using a mix of species with different rooting types enables soil structure to be improved across different depths.
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