Cover Cropping

A cover crop is any plant grown primarily to protect and improve the soil rather than for harvest. Keeping the soil covered with living plants year-round is one of the most impactful practices in organic farming.

Why Bare Soil Is Dangerous

Bare soil in India is attacked on all sides:

• Rain impact: 10mm raindrop dislodges soil particles → erosion begins
• UV radiation: 1 hour of midday summer sun kills surface fungi and bacteria
• Oxidation: Exposed OC oxidizes to CO₂ within weeks
• Temperature: Bare soil hits 50–60°C in Indian summer — lethal to microbes
• Weed invasion: Nature abhors bare soil — weeds fill the gap

Cover Crop Functions

Function	Key Cover Crop
N fixation	Legume: Cowpea, Sesbania, Sunn Hemp
Erosion control	Any dense canopy; especially grasses
Weed suppression	Fast-growing, dense: Sunn Hemp, Buckwheat
Subsoil compaction breaking	Deep-rooted: Radish (daikon), Sunflower
Mycorrhizal network maintenance	Any host plant (most crops)
Nematode suppression	Marigold, African Marigold
Attract beneficials	Buckwheat, Phacelia, Flowering herbs

Best Cover Crop Mixtures for India

Kharif mixture (rainfed): Dhaincha 10 kg + Cowpea 10 kg + Sunn Hemp 5 kg → N fixation + rapid biomass + weed competition

Rabi mixture (irrigated): Berseem 10 kg + Oats/Barley 20 kg → N + soil organic matter + excellent mulch

Summer/Zaid: Cowpea 20 kg + Sesame 5 kg → Drought-tolerant; N + deep roots

Termination Methods

For green manure benefit: Slash + incorporate at 50% flowering

For mulch benefit: Let mature, desiccate in situ; use as surface mulch

Roller-crimper method: Roll living cover crop flat with weighted roller at flowering stage. Dies in place as mulch. No tillage, no incorporation — powerful no-till system.

Chemical-free kill: Several weeks without irrigation in dry season; or mowing repeatedly at same height (exhausts reserves)

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Related: Green Manuring | Weed Management