Fall harvest has started but farmers also need to think about planting cover crops, writes James Hoorman at Ohio’s Country Journal. USDA-SARE publication (10 Ways Cover Crops Enhance Soil Health) states “Cover crops lead to better soil health and potentially better farm profits.” Here is a 10-point summary:
Cover crops feed many soil organisms. Most soil fungi and bacteria are beneficial to crops, feeding on carbohydrates that plants exude (release) through their roots. In return, fungi and bacteria supply nutrients, such as nitrogen or phosphorous, to the crop roots. While cover crops directly feed bacteria and fungi, many other soil organisms eat fungi and bacteria, including earthworms and beneficial arthropods (soil insects).
Cover crops support the soil food web throughout the year. Beneficial soil insects eat weed seed, devour crop predator eggs and larva, and consume or outcompete many crop disease organisms. Good soil health means that all soil organisms are kept in balance so no one organism becomes a pest.
Cover crops increase the number and type of earthworms. Some earthworms, like nightcrawlers, tunnel vertically, while the smaller redworms tunnel horizontally. Both create growth channels (stable pores) for crop roots and for rainfall and air to move into the soil.
Cover crops also build soil carbon and soil organic matter, using sunlight and carbon dioxide to make carbon-based molecules to buildup soil carbon. Some carbon is a direct food source (sugars) while some becomes humic (stable) substances that build soil organic matter to improve nutrient availability/storage and hold soil moisture.
Cover crops improve soil nutrient management, reducing the need for some commercial fertilizer. Cover crops scavenge and recycle soil nutrients to the next crop (nitrogen and phosphorus) keeping them in the soil, not losing them to the air or water. Bare soils tend to crust, have reduced water infiltration, and erode. Cover crops cover the soil, keeping soil moist and cool, for optimal plant and microbial growth.
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