This book provides a comprehensive review of the wealth of research on the varied roles of cover crops as a key tool in regenerative agriculture, how best to deploy them, as well as optimising use of different classes of cover crops in promoting soil health.
There is a growing body of research on cover crops as a key tool in regenerative agriculture, including their multifunctional role in making agricultural systems more resilient in the face of climate change.
Cover crops for sustainable soil management provides a comprehensive review of the varied roles of cover crops in promoting soil health, how best to deploy them, as well as optimising use of different classes of cover crops in promoting soil health. The book also discusses the use of different classes of cover crops, including cool and warm season leguminous and gramineous cover crops, as well as non-leguminous broadleaf cover crops.
- Provides a comprehensive overview of the main types of cover crop species, including leguminous, gramineous and non-leguminous broadleaf cover crops
- Reviews the role of cover crops in helping to promote soil health and deliver key ecosystem services
- Reviews recent developments in the management of cover crops
Part 1 Understanding the role of cover crops
1.The role of cover crops in optimising nutrient cycles: Yajun Peng,
University of Guelph, Canada;
2.The role of cover crops in improving soil biological health: Michelle
Wander, University of Illinois, USA;
3.The role of cover crops in improving biodiversity: Deirdre
Prischmann-Voldseth, North Dakota State University, USA;
4.The role of cover crops in pest and disease control: Nic Irvin, University
of California-Riverside, USA;
5.The role of cover crops in weed control: John Wallace, Penn State
University, USA;
6.The role of cover crops in forage production: Heather Darby, University of
Vermont, USA;
7.Assessing the effects of cover crops on cash crop yields: Inderjot Chahal,
University of Guelph, Canada;
Part 2 Managing cover crops
8.Cover crop decision support tools: Victoria Ackroyd, USDA-ARS, USA;
9.Cover crop establishment: Andy Clark, formerly University of Maryland and
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), USA, and Sjoerd
W. Duiker, Penn State University, USA;
10.Key challenges in terminating cover crops: Alyssa Essman, Ohio State
University, USA;
Part 3 Cover crop species
11.Cool season leguminous cover crops: Masoud Hashemi, University of
Massachusetts, USA;
12.Warm season leguminous cover crops: Andrew Price, USDA-ARS, USA;
13.Cool season gramineous cover crops: Humberto Blanco, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, USA;
14.Warm season gramineous cover crops: Matt Ryan, Cornell University, USA;
15.Non-leguminous broadleaf cover crops: Christina Curell, Michigan State
University, USA;
Part 4 The future of cover crops
16.Strategies to increase cover crop adoption: Ken Staver, University of
Maryland, USA;
17.The future of cover crops: opportunities and challenges: Sjoerd W. Duiker,
Penn State University, USA and Andy Clark, formerly SARE-USDA, USA;
Dr Sjoerd W. Duiker is Professor of Soil Management and Applied Soil Physics at Penn State University, USA. He has made significant contributions to both research and extension in developing more sustainable soil management practices in such areas as no-till systems, the use of cover crops, mulches and more diverse crop rotations. He is a member of the Governing Board of the Northeast Cover Crops Council which brings together universities, farmers, government agencies and others to optimise cover crop use in the north-eastern states of the USA.
Dr Andy Clark recently retired as National Communications Director of the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program. The SARE Program operates under cooperative agreements between the University of Maryland, USA and the USDAs National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Dr Clark led the communications arm of the SARE Program that was instrumental in developing and disseminating sustainable crop and livestock management practices in the United States. As Communications Director, Dr Clark oversaw the development of more than 40 publications, including editing the Third Edition of the SARE publication Managing Cover Crops Profitably, widely regarded as the standard reference for farmers, agronomists and others interested in adoption of cover crops on farms in the United States.
