Legume Cover Crops as One of the Elements of Strategic Weed Management and Soil Quality Improvement. A Review

Abstract

The benefits of conservation practices increased the interest of farmers in the cultivation of cover crops (CCs). This review aims to present and analyze the state of the art on the cultivation of legume CCs, including their importance in protecting crops against weeds, as well as their effects on organic matter and nitrogen content in the soil, physical and biological properties of the soil, and its erosion. The multi-purpose character of legume CCs is visible in their positive effect on reducing weed infestation, but also on the soil: reducing its compaction and erosion, improving its structural and hydraulic properties, increasing the content of organic matter and activity of soil microorganisms, or increasing its nitrogen content due to symbiotic N2 fixing. This review demonstrates that a wider use of legume CCs in organic farming is needed. The benefits of legume CCs for successive crops in these cultivation conditions, both in terms of inhibiting weed populations and improving fertility and soil properties, also need to be identified. Further research is also needed to determine the potential impact of legume CCs on the improvement of the quality of degraded soils, or those with less favorable physicochemical properties.

Quality of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Changes under Different Cover Crops, Soil Tillage and Nitrogen Fertilization Management

“…Nowadays, a sustainable approach to farming practices can refer to conservation of agriculture principles such as minimum soil disturbance and permanent soil cover with cover crops and mulches. The adoption of cover crops within the cropping systems can provide several benefits, i.e., reducing the need for fertilizers by recycling nutrients and fixing the atmospheric N in case of legume cover crops, reducing the incidence of soil-borne disease by providing habitat for beneficial insects, decreasing herbicide use by reducing weed pressure and increasing crop yield by improving soil health [5,6]. While it has been largely recognized that conservation tillage increases soil organic matter, soil structure and stability, which in turn reduce soil erosion, improve water holding capacity and microbial and earthworm activity [7][8][9].…”

Weed Ecology and New Approaches for Management

“…Furthermore, it was confirmed that the level of damage after herbicide application and the regeneration rate of camelina plants depended on the cultivar [17]. The review article presents the ecosystem advantages of legume cover crops, including their effect on weed control [18].…”

“…They reduce weeds and provide other benefits to farming systems, such as improving soil quality [43]. In particular, the wider use of legume CCs is justified in cropping systems with the limited use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides [18].…”

A trait-based analysis to assess the ability of cover crops to control weeds in a tropical island

“…The increasing interest of producers and researchers in cover crops may have been encouraged by the many positive aspects attributed to cover cropping such as improving soil fertility and controlling pests, weeds and erosion (Altieri et al, 2011;Kocira et al, 2020;Koohafkan et al, 2012;Snapp et al, 2005). In particular, cover crops provide direct weed control during their establishment by competing with weeds for light, water, nutrients and space (Blanco-Canqui et al, 2015), as well as releasing allelochemical compounds into the environment (Farooq et al, 2011).…”

“…Bhaskar et al, 2018;Mennan et al, 2000;Ranaivoson et al, 2018). Cover crops are thus increasingly used in innovative cropping systems to favor biological regulation and to deliver agro-ecosystem services such as improving soil fertility and controlling pests, weeds and erosion (Altieri et al, 2011;Kocira et al, 2020;Koohafkan et al, 2012;Snapp et al, 2005). A wide range of cover crops are available, so the choice of species to deliver these services is crucial because the spatial and temporal combinations with the main crop will determine the performances of the system (Malezieux et al, 2009).…”