“What’s your goal with cover crops?” asked Kevin Fry, Pioneer Field Agronomist. “While forages and erosion control are the top methods in most places, growers need to define their goals before planting a single seed.”
The most commonly used cover crops fall into one of three broad groups: grasses, legumes and brassica.- Grasses, including winter cereals such as rye, wheat, barley and triticale, are the most widely used cover crops in corn and soybean cropping systems. In general, these grasses are best suited for scavenging soil nutrients, preventing soil erosion and suppressing weeds.
- Legumes are valued as cover crops primarily for their ability to fix N. Common legumes used as winter cover crops in corn and soybean cropping systems include hairy vetch, field pea, lentil, crimson clover, red clover and berseem clover.
- Brassica cover crops, such as radish or winter canola, have grown in popularity recently due to their ability to provide many of the same benefits as grasses but with residues that break down more rapidly in the spring. Certain brassicas are also becoming well known for their ability to produce a large taproot that is effective at minimizing soil compaction.
