Cover Crops: Promoting Plant Diversity

Working with nature, cover crop seeds, mixes and EnviroPastures. Regenerative Farming New Zealand.

Plant diversity is the key to reducing inputs and increasing profits. Cover crops seeds and mixes are an important part of your rotation. They not only help control erosion but they also provide key nutrients. Cover crops can alleviate soil compaction issues, assist in weed control, and boost moisture retention to transform your pasture into the regenerative farming system.

STRATEGY

Green Manure

GRASSES

Bio Tillage

HERBS

CO2

BRASSICA

Water Retention

LEGUMES

Pest Management

TREATMENTS

Erosion Control

GRASSES

High Soil Fertility

HERBS

Microbiology Builder

STRATEGY

Beneficial Insects

Treatments

Green Manure

Treatments

Bio Tillage

Treatments

CO2

Legumes

Water Retention

Grasses

Pest Management

Treatments

Erosion Control

Brassicas

High Soil Fertility

Strategy

Microbiology Builder

Herbs

Beneficial Insects

Are you applying the best farming practices?

 

Many farmers leave their fields empty between two seasons, which is logical considering the expenditure of an extra crop between two seasons. However, cover crops can increase your profits and preserve your soil so that you continue getting maximum yield. Did you know that when using cover crops, you also help the environment?

Cover crops and Cover Crop Mixes can also prevent soil erosion by holding soil nutrients in place and reducing soil runoff during rains. Roots of cover crops can penetrate deeper soil layers, allowing water and oxygen to reach deeper into the ground, decreasing tillage costs. Another major benefit of using cover crops is that they can add nutrients to the soil. For example, legumes help convert nitrogen gas from the air (which is unavailable to plants otherwise) to plant-available nitrogen. That is why cover crops can reduce your fertiliser costs.

Are you planting seeds as your main business and looking for removing the environmental pressure during the season? Check out this link.

By increasing the plant biodiversity, cover crops can provide additional benefits to the soil and environment. An empty field promotes weed growth, whereas cover crops block sunlight and effectively reduce weeds. Soil pathogens are also suppressed by many cover crops, effectively reducing the cost of pesticides. Before selecting a cover crop, you should know your goal of planting cover crops from the above benefits. You can apply our Cultivar Selection Dashboard to compare these.

Combine the Right species

Paddock condition and history along with seasonal and climatic conditions affect recommended species and seeding rates for each desired outcome

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We will help you to design the right mix from our list of cultivars to increase your profit

Find out more about cover crops species:

Cover Crops: Legumes

The main advantage of using legumes as cover crops is their ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen to plant-available nitrogen. Some legumes grow substantially and can provide over 20 kg of nitrogen per hectare to the next crop. To use legumes as cover crops, it is vital to use appropriate nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which help legumes fix nitrogen to the soil. Legumes also have other benefits that you can check using the links below.

Cover Crops: Grains

If you have problems with nematodes, grains are the most appropriate cover crops. They are non-hosts to nematodes and hence are very helpful in reducing the nematode infestation. Consider two full-season crops if you observe a very high infestation of nematodes in your crops. Check our cover crops below to see the benefits of these.If you have problems with nematodes, grains are the most appropriate cover crops. They are non-hosts to nematodes and hence are very helpful in reducing the nematode infestation. Consider two full-season crops if you observe a very high infestation of nematodes in your crops. Check our cover crops below to see the benefits of these.

Cover Crops: Grasses

The grass family is better known for its fast growth. That is why they are best used to increase soil’s organic matter. Grasses with higher surface residue and roots provide a better effect on soil’s organic matter. For example, Ryegrass can produce 3-5 tons of residue. Above ground residue produced by grasses also help control weeds. In areas of excessive rains and floods, grasses can provide protection against soil erosion as they have a very fibrous root system. Check our Grasses to see what other benefits are available to you through using these.

Cover Crops: Brassicas

Brassica is a genus that belongs to the cabbage family. Turnip and Mustard are important members of the Brassica genus. They are the best for crop rotation and increase the biodiversity of the field. They also serve as biofumigants and help control root pathogens. Brassicas can also provide some degree of protection against nematodes. See more details followed by the links below.

Cover Crops: Herbs

Herbs are a wide group of plants used for flavoring and garnishing food and for medicinal purposes because of their aromatic properties. Herbs are also great cover crops and can provide a range of benefits to farmers. Due to their active compounds, they normally have antibiotic properties, which help control plant diseases. Some members are also known to produce aflatoxins, which can decrease weed infestation. See our products to understand what other benefits are available and what limitations of using these.

Cover Crops: Flowers

Many flower-producing crops are also used as cover crops. The colorful flowers of these crops attract beneficial insects and increase their infestation. These beneficial insects assist pollination and without them, yield can be significantly decreased. Therefore, if you use a lot of chemicals in your fields and have a low amount of beneficial insects and pollinators, flowers are a very good option. Check out below for more information.

Other cover crop seeds for Regenerating Farming

Other cover crop seeds

In addition to the categories mentioned above, some other crops can be used as cover crops, which are included in this category. For example, flaxseed, linseed etc. can also be used as cover crops. Both of these crops are useful to attract beneficial insects. They also help mobilise phosphorus in the soil, saving costs for phosphorus-based fertilisers. They can also increase organic matter. As this category covers a range of different cover crops, it is best to read the description of each crop before choosing it.