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Note to the reader: This general fiche summarises all the environmental and climate impacts of cover/catch crops, found in a review of 39 synthesis research paperspapers [1]. These papers were selected from an initial number of 159 obtained through a systematic literature search strategy, according to the inclusion criteria reported in section 4.
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Description | Cover crops are grown to provide vegetative cover between rows of main crops in orchards and vineyards, or in the period between two main arable crops to prevent erosion and minimize the risk of surface runoff by improving the infiltration. They may also function as catch crops, which scavenge the remaining nitrogen after the main crop is harvested, thereby reducing nutrient losses from leaching. They are temporary crops that may be cut and removed or incorporated into the soil. The practice of incorporating crops into the soil to provide nutrient is defined as "green manuring".[2] Spontaneous vegetation left growing with the same purpose of cover crops is also included under this practice. |
Key descriptors | Cover/catch crops include:
Cover/catch crops are terminated before the main cash crop is harvested, by different strategies:
Cover/catch crops biomass, after termination, can be either:
Catch/cover crops or spontaneous living soil cover are compared to bare soil during fallow season (e.g. winter) or to uncovered soil/active removal of spontaneous vegetation by tillage. |
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Number | Author | Year | Title | Reference | doi |
1 | Fang, LF; Shi, XJ; Zhang, Y; Yang, YH; Zhang, XL; Wang, XZ; Zhang, YT | 2021 | The effects of ground cover management on fruit yield and quality: a meta-analysis | ARCHIVES OF AGRONOMY AND SOIL SCIENCE | 10.1080/03650340.2021.1937607 |
2 | Liu, R; Thomas, B; Shi, XJ; Zhang, XL; Wang, ZC; Zhang, YT | 2021 | Effects of ground cover management on improving water and soil conservation in tree crop systems: A meta-analysis | CATENA 199, 105085 | 10.1016/j.catena.2020.105085 |
3 | Wang, J; Zhang, SH; Sainju, UM; Ghimire, R; Zhao, FZ | 2021 | A meta-analysis on cover crop impact on soil water storage, succeeding crop yield, and water-use efficiency | Agricultural Water Management, 256, 107085 | 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107085 |
4 | Muhammad, I; Wang, J; Sainju, UM; Zhang, SH; Zhao, FZ; Khan, A | 2021 | Cover cropping enhances soil microbial biomass and affects microbial community structure: A meta-analysis | Geoderma 381, 114696 | 10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114696 |
5 | Puissant, J; Villenave, C; Chauvin, C; Plassard, C; Blanchart, E; Trap, J | 2021 | Quantification of the global impact of agricultural practices on soil nematodes: A meta-analysis | SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY, 161, 108383 | 10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108383 |
6 | McClelland, SC; Paustian, K; Schipanski, ME | 2021 | Management of cover crops in temperate climates influences soil organic carbon stocks: a meta-analysis | Ecological applications, 31, 3, e02278 | 10.1002/eap.2278 |
7 | Crystal-Ornelas, R; Thapa, R; Tully, KL | 2021 | Soil organic carbon is affected by organic amendments, conservation tillage, and cover cropping in organic farming systems: A meta-analysis | Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 312, 107356 | 10.1016/j.agee.2021.107356 |
8 | Jian, Jinshi; Lester, Brandon J.; Du, Xuan; Reiter, Mark S.; Stewart, Ryan D. | 2020 | A calculator to quantify cover crop effects on soil health and productivity | Soil and Tillage Research 199, 104575 | 10.1016/j.still.2020.104575 |
9 | Kim, N; Zabaloy, MC; Guan, KY; Villamil, MB | 2020 | Do cover crops benefit soil microbiome? A meta-analysis of current research | SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY, 142, 107701. | 10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107701 |
10 | Nicholas, V; Martinez-Feria, R; Weisberger, D; Carlson, S; Basso, B; Basche, A | 2020 | Cover crops and weed suppression in the US Midwest: A meta-analysis and modeling study | AGR ENV LETT 2020;5, e20022 | 10.1002/ael2.20022 |
11 | Payen FT, Sykes A, Aitkenhead M, Alexander P, Moran D, MacLeod M. | 2020 | Soil organic carbon sequestration rates in vineyard agroecosystems under different soil management practices: A meta-analysis | J. Clean. Prod. Elsevier 125736 | 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125736 |
12 | Jian, Jinshi; Du, Xuan; Reiter, Mark S.; Stewart, Ryan D. | 2020 | A meta-analysis of global cropland soil carbon changes due to cover cropping | Soil Biol. Biochem. 143, 107735 | 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107735 |
13 | Morugan-Coronado, A; Linares, C; Gomez-Lopez, MD; Faz, A; Zornoza, R | 2020 | The impact of intercropping, tillage and fertilizer type on soil and crop yield in fruit orchards under Mediterranean conditions: A meta-analysis of field studies | Agric. Syst. 178, 102736 | 10.1016/j.agsy.2019.102736 |
14 | Bai, XL; Zhang, ZB; Cui, JJ; Liu, ZJ; Chen, ZJ; Zhou, JB | 2020 | Strategies to mitigate nitrate leaching in vegetable production in China: a meta-analysis | Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27, 18382–18391 | 10.1007/s11356-020-08322-1 |
15 | Lee, H; Lautenbach, S; Nieto, APG; Bondeau, A; Cramer, W; Geijzendorffer, IR | 2019 | The impact of conservation farming practices on Mediterranean agro-ecosystem services provisioning-a meta-analysis | REG ENVIRON CHANGE | 10.1007/s10113-018-1447-y |
16 | Gu, JX; Nie, HH; Guo, HJ; Xu, HH; Gunnathorn, T | 2019 | Nitrous oxide emissions from fruit orchards: A review | Atmospheric Environment 201, 166-172 | 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.12.046 |
17 | Muhammad, I., Sainju, U.M., Zhao, F., (…), Fu, X., Wang, J. | 2019 | Regulation of soil CO2 and N2O emissions by cover crops: A meta-analysis | Soil and Tillage Research 192, pp. 103-112 | 10.1016/j.still.2019.04.020 |
18 | Shackelford, GE; Kelsey, R; Dicks, LV | 2019 | Effects of cover crops on multiple ecosystem services: Ten meta-analyses of data from arable farmland in California and the Mediterranean | LAND USE POLICY, 88, 104204. | 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104204 |
19 | Basche, AD; DeLonge, MS | 2019 | Comparing infiltration rates in soils managed with conventional and alternative farming methods: A meta-analysis | PloS one, 14 (9): e0215702. | 10.1371/journal.pone.0215702 |
20 | Meyer, N; Bergez, JE; Constantin, J; Justes, E | 2019 | Cover crops reduce water drainage in temperate climates: A meta-analysis | Agronomy for Sustainable Development 39, 3 | 10.1007/s13593-018-0546-y |
21 | Osipitan OA, Dille JA, Assefa Y, Radicetti E, Ayeni A, Knezevic SZ | 2019 | Impact of cover crop management on level of weed suppression: A meta-analysis | Crop Science 59, 3, 833-842 | 10.2135/cropsci2018.09.0589 |
22 | Hallama, M; Pekrun, C; Lambers, H; Kandeler, E | 2019 | Hidden miners - the roles of cover crops and soil microorganisms in phosphorus cycling through agroecosystems | NA | 10.1007/s11104-018-3810-7 |
23 | Bai, XX; Huang, YW; Ren, W; Coyne, M; Jacinthe, PA; Tao, B; Hui, DF; Yang, J; Matocha, C | 2019 | Responses of soil carbon sequestration to climate-smart agriculture practices: A meta-analysis | Global Change Biology, 25, 2591-2606 | 10.1111/gcb.14658 |
24 | Toler, HD; Auge, RM; Benelli, V; Allen, FL; Ashworth, AJ | 2019 | Global Meta-Analysis of Cotton Yield and Weed Suppression from Cover Crops | Crop science 59, 3, 1248-1261 | 10.2135/cropsci2018.10.0603 |
25 | Winter, S; Bauer, T; Strauss, P; Kratschmer, S; Paredes, D; Popescu, D; Landa, B; Guzman, G; Gomez, JA; Guernion, M; Zaller, JG; Batary, P | 2018 | Effects of vegetation management intensity on biodiversity and ecosystem services in vineyards: A meta-analysis | J APPL ECOL | 10.1111/1365-2664.13124 |
26 | Thapa R, Mirsky SB, Tully KL | 2018 | Cover Crops Reduce Nitrate Leaching in Agroecosystems:A Global Meta-Analysis | Journal of Environmental Quality 47, 6, 1400-1411 | 10.2134/jeq2018.03.0107 |
27 | Osipitan, OA; Dille, JA; Assefa, Y; Knezevic, SZ | 2018 | Cover Crop for Early Season Weed Suppression in Crops: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Agronomy Journal 110, 6, 2211-2221 | 10.2134/agronj2017.12.0752 |
28 | Mahal, NK; Castellano, MJ; Miguez, FE | 2018 | Conservation Agriculture Practices Increase Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen: A Meta-Analysis | SOIL SCI SOC AM J, 82, 1270–1278 | 10.2136/sssaj2017.07.0245 |
29 | Marcillo GS, Miguez FE | 2017 | Corn yield response to winter cover crops: An updated meta-analysis | JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION 72, 3, 226 -239 | 10.2489/jswc.72.3.226 |
30 | Han, Z; Walter, MT; Drinkwater, LE | 2017 | N2O emissions from grain cropping systems: a meta-analysis of the impacts of fertilizer-based and ecologically-based nutrient management strategies | NUTRIENT CYCLING IN AGROECOSYSTEMS, 107, 335-355. | 10.1007/s10705-017-9836-z |
31 | Bowles, TM; Jackson, LE; Loeher, M; Cavagnaro, TR | 2017 | Ecological intensification and arbuscular mycorrhizas: a meta-analysis of tillage and cover crop effects | Journal of applied ecology 54, 6, 1785-1793 | 10.1111/1365-2664.12815 |
32 | Basche, A; DeLonge, M | 2017 | The Impact of Continuous Living Cover on Soil Hydrologic Properties: A Meta-Analysis | SOIL SCI SOC AM J, 81, 5, 1179-1190 | 10.2136/sssaj2017.03.0077 |
33 | Alvarez, Roberto; Steinbach, Haydee S.; De Paepe, Josefina L. | 2017 | Cover crop effects on soils and subsequent crops in the pampas: A meta-analysis | Soil and Tillage Research 170, 53-65 | 10.1016/j.still.2017.03.005 |
34 | Wortman, Sam E. | 2016 | Weedy fallow as an alternative strategy for reducing nitrogen loss from annual cropping systems | Agronomy for Sustainable Development 61 | 10.1007/s13593-016-0397-3 |
35 | Pecio A., Jarosz Z. | 2016 | Long-term effects of soil management practices on selected indicators of chemical soil quality [Wpływ wieloletniego stosowania zabiegów agrotechnicznych na wybrane właściwości chemiczne gleb] | Acta Agrobotanica 69, 2 | 10.5586/aa.1662 |
36 | Valkama E, Lemola R, Känkänen H, Turtola E | 2015 | Meta-analysis of the effects of undersown catch crops on nitrogen leaching loss and grain yields in the Nordic countries | Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 203, 93-101 | 10.1016/j.agee.2015.01.023 |
37 | Basche, A.D.; Miguez, F.E.; Kaspar, T.C.; Castellano, M.J.; | 2014 | Do cover crops increase or decrease nitrous oxide emissions? A meta-analysis | JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION, 69, 471-482. | 10.2489/jswc.69.6.471 |
38 | Quemada, M.; Baranski, M.; Nobel-de Lange, M. N. J.; Vallejo, A.; Cooper, J. M. | 2013 | Meta-analysis of strategies to control nitrate leaching in irrigated agricultural systems and their effects on crop yield | AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT | 10.1016/j.agee.2013.04.018 |
39 | Tonitto, C; David, MB; Drinkwater, LE | 2006 | Replacing bare fallows with cover crops in fertilizer-intensive cropping systems: A meta-analysis of crop yield and N dynamics | AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT, 112, 58–72. | 10.1016/j.agee.2005.07.003 |
[1] Synthesis research papers include either meta-analysis or systematic reviews with quantitative results.
[2] Inglett, P.W., Reddy, K.R., Corstanje, R., 2005. Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment | ScienceDirect.