Integrating Cover Crops in High Tunnel Crop Production

Effect of field pea (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense (L.) Asch.) and pea-oat (Avena sativa L.) biculture cover crops on high tunnel vegetable under organic production system

“…The results indicated that a high residue input from cover crops was important for soil organic carbon stock, for retaining plant-available N in organic matter, and for improving soil physical properties, especially wet aggregate stability. We observed an increase in soil pH and the availability of some mineral nutrients in the soil under cover crop treatments, especially Ca, Mg, K, and P. N uptake reduced crop yields (Nair et al 2014;Rudisill et al 2015). Among the cropping practices used for ecological intensification of production, incorporating cover crop residues and mulching the soil are common management actions in sustainable agriculture worldwide.…”