Tools & Resources
Species Selection
Species Impacts
Each type of cover crop species impacts soil health and agronomic systems in certain ways to address specific management goals.
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Brassicas like mustards, kale, radishes, turnips and rapeseed feature large taproots that ease soil compaction, penetrate soil layers and influence water drainage. They scavenge nutrients, support grazing and suppress some pests.
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Grasses and cereal grains like cereal rye, oats, ryegrasses and winter barley or wheat tend to establish easily through most any seeding method. Their fibrous roots prevent erosion, promote water infiltration and scavenge nitrogen. Their biomass can suppress weeds in the following crop.
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Nonlegume Cover Crops
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Legumes like clovers, vetches, and winter peas fix nitrogen in the soil. They attract beneficial insects, reduce erosion and increase organic matter. They may also break pest cycles.
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Legume Cover Crops
Choosing the Right Cover Crops
Select cover crop species based on the goals for a given field. Those goals will point toward categories of cover crops described above. Then, a variety of other factors will help identify specific species that fit best. Factors like frost date, seed budget, cash crop rotation, seeding method and others highlighted in these resources all help identify the best cover crop option for each field.
To help you select the right cover crops we recommend using the Southern Cover Crop Council Selector Tool.
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Cereal Rye
A cool-season grain, cereal rye is the most commonly seeded cover crop species, used either alone or in mixes. It can be seeded in a variety of ways, making it an ideal option for cover crop beginners. In crop rotations, it fits well following corn, before soybeans, as it scavenges nitrogen in the fall and adds biomass in the spring that can suppress weeds.
Types of Species
Browse some of the commonly used cover crop species. The Expert’s Guide to Cover Crops article and the Cover Crop Chart offer starting points. Then, dig deeper into the most intriguing and promising options below to decide what to seed in your fields to work toward your goals.
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Brassicas
Brassicas feature large taproots that ease soil compaction, penetrate soil layers and influence water drainage. They scavenge nutrients, support grazing and winterkill for termination. Many species also release compounds that can be toxic to other pests as they break down, supporting integrated pest management. The following detailed information about specific species can help determine if they fit in your fields.
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These winter-hardy brassicas have tap roots that fight compaction and minimize erosion. They can regrow well under rotational grazing and can attract deer in winter food plots.
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These cool-season annuals have deep taproots. They also produce high levels of compounds called glucosinolates when decomposing, which can suppress pest pressure.
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Pass the Mustard: Cover Crop Found to be Natural Barrier to Charcoal Rot
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Species of tillage or oilseed radishes produce long taproots that tackle soil compaction and scavenge nutrients, and they winterkill and decompose quickly in the spring. They work well for grazing.
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This brassica is an oilseed with fibrous roots. Some varieties are also known as canola, typically a cash crop. Winter rapeseed varieties work well as a cover crop that prevents soil erosion and supports grazing.
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Growing Canola for Oilseed or Cover Crop Use
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Another cool-season option, turnips tolerate cold better than radishes, which supports winter grazing. They also capture soil nutrients and ease compaction. Turnips mix well with grasses.
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Grasses
Grasses and small cereal grains establish easily through most any seeding method. Their fibrous roots prevent erosion, promote water infiltration and scavenge nitrogen. The biomass they produce increases soil organic matter. And their above-ground growth can suppress weeds in the following crop. Check out specifics to learn how to put them to work in your cover crops.
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This cool-season grass can grow rapidly. Shallow, fibrous roots hold soil in place, improve water infiltration and enhance soil tilth. It can produce high volumes of biomass for organic matter.
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Winter barley handles poor soils and dry conditions better than other small grains. It prevents erosion and nutrient loss. It can also add value as a forage or silage.
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Soil Health Minute: Oats and Barley as Cover Crops
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This versatile small grain can serve as a cover and a forage. They generally winterkill, and they mix well with other species. For beginning cover croppers, oats fit well following soybeans, before planting corn.
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This winter annual is a cross between wheat and cereal rye. It supports nutrient cycling and storing carbon, and it is used more in cover crop mixes than on its own.
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Winter wheat can serve as an easy-to-terminate grass cover crop. It prevents soil erosion, scavenges nutrients and supports grazing. It also offers the unique option of being harvested as a cash crop. However, consider how that would impact participation in cover crop programs.
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Legumes
Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil. Their flowers often attract beneficial insects, while their roots hold soil in place to reduce erosion. They produce biomass that increases organic matter. Plus, some species can also break pest cycles. Learn more about each species category below.
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Several clover species work well as cover crops, including winter or summer annuals like crimson or berseem clover, as well as perennials like red and white clover. In addition to fixing nitrogen, clovers attract pollinators and beneficial insects.
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Berseem Clover as a Cover Crop
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Management of Red Clover as a Cover Crop
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Options like field peas, also called Austrian winter peas, can grow as a winter or summer annual, depending on latitude and growing season length, though they usually winterkill. They provide forage, fix nitrogen and suppress weeds.
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