The role of cover crop and minimum tillage in the soil quality: Review

Abstract

The management of cover crops is one of the classic agricultural strategies and is now receiving global attention. cover crop include plant species that used for reason beyond primary grain, or the forage productions, often categorized as leguminous broad leave, non-leguminous broad leaves, or the grasses. According to the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), CCs used to safeguard, and enhance the soil through intervals of annual crop cultivation or between trees in orchards and vines in vineyards. Proper managements are required to realize several benefits associated with cover crops. Effective cover crops need meticulous planning and the selection of suitable types, seeding rate, planting periods, termination stages, and termination procedures. Among the management techniques, species selections, termination stages, and terminations strategies are identified as the most crucial elements for optimizing cover crops to provide numerous advantages while preventing nutrient immobilizations, and competition with the subsequent cash crop. Integrating crop residues with tillage practice is an advantage by adding organic matters, and carbon the soil which is a prerequisite for better physical, biological and chemical properties. Leaving crop residues on the soil surface reduces its apparent density and compaction. It has been found that the value of water conductivity is greater in the case of no-tillage compared to the ploughed soil due to the greater number of large plants and increased microbial activity. Incorporating crop residues into soil increases the rates of water conductivity saturated, and regulating soil temperature.