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Cover Crops in Agrosystems: Innovations and Applications

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Genetic Engineering, Biofertilisation, Soil Quality and Organic Farming

Part of the book series: Sustainable Agriculture Reviews ((SARV,volume 4))

Abstract

Cover crops can reduce the dependence of farmers on agrochemicals while enhancing overall agrosystem’s performance. However, the inherent complexity of cover-crop-based systems hampers their adoption by conventional farmers. Therefore, special management skills and alternative research and technology transfer approaches may be required to facilitate their adoptive use by conventional farmers. We propose that development and adoption of suitable cover-crop-based production systems may require the use of an “innovation framework” that includes (1) identification of system constraints, (2) analysis of system behavior, (3) exploration of alternative systems, and (4) system design and selection. We describe case studies from four regions of the Americas (Florida, USA; Paraná and Santa Catarina, Brazil; and Canelones, Uruguay) that illustrate the relationships between this innovation framework and the development and adoption of cover-crop-based production systems. Where successful, development and adoption of such systems appear to relate to a number of attributes including (1) active involvement by farmers in research and dissemination programs; (2) integration of cover crops into production systems without net loss of land or labor resources; (3) informing farmers of the (direct) benefits of cover crop use; (4) provision of multiple benefits by cover crops, (5) sufficient access to information, inputs, and technologies required for cover crop use; and (6) provision of skills and experience necessary to manage cover crops effectively. Where these attributes are absent and failure to innovate has prevented development and adoption of cover-crop-based systems, policy initiatives to reward farmers for ecological services provided by cover crops may be required.

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Abbreviations

SOM:

soil organic matter

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Acknowledgments

This review was possible as part of international and interdisciplinary collaborations fostered by the EULACIAS program (http://www.eulacias.org/). This program was funded by the FP6-2004-INCO-DEV3-032387 project titled “Breaking the spiral of unsustainability in arid and semi-arid areas in Latin Americas using and ecosystems approach for co-innovation of farm livelihoods.” The authors also thank Boru Doughwaite for providing conceptual ideas that helped to structure parts of this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Farming Systems, Wageningen University, 563, 6700, AN, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Johannes M. S. Scholberg & Walter A. H. Rossing

  2. Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Avda. Garzón 780, 12900, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Santiago Dogliotti

  3. Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, 234 Fraziers-Rogers Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Lincoln Zotarelli

  4. Department of Plant Sciences and Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Corey M. Cherr

  5. Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria – Estación Experimental Las Brujas, Ruta 48 km 10, Rincón del Colorado – Canelones, 90200, Uruguay

    Carolina Leoni

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  1. Johannes M. S. Scholberg
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  2. Santiago Dogliotti
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  3. Lincoln Zotarelli
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  4. Corey M. Cherr
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  5. Carolina Leoni
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  6. Walter A. H. Rossing
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Correspondence to Johannes M. S. Scholberg .

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  1. INRA-CMSE-PME, rue Sully 17, Dijon CX, 21065, France

    Eric Lichtfouse

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Scholberg, J.M.S., Dogliotti, S., Zotarelli, L., Cherr, C.M., Leoni, C., Rossing, W.A.H. (2010). Cover Crops in Agrosystems: Innovations and Applications. In: Lichtfouse, E. (eds) Genetic Engineering, Biofertilisation, Soil Quality and Organic Farming. Sustainable Agriculture Reviews, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8741-6_3

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