What is a green manure crop?
Q: What is a green manure crop?
A: A green manure crop is a crop grown for a specific period and then plowed under and incorporated into the soil for soil improvement and soil protection.
Q: What functions do green manures typically perform?
A: Green manures typically perform several functions, including soil improvement, soil protection, weed suppression, prevention of soil erosion and compaction, and providing forage for pollinating insects.
Q: What is the role of leguminous green manures in soil improvement?
A: Leguminous green manures such as clover contain nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria in root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen in a form that plants can use, which improves soil fertility.
Q: How do green manures increase the percentage of organic matter in the soil?
A: Green manures increase the percentage of organic matter (biomass) in the soil as they are incorporated into the soil, thereby improving water retention, aeration, and other soil characteristics.
Q: What is the benefit of some varieties of green manure that grow deep in the soil?
A: The root systems of some varieties of green manure grow deep in the soil and bring up nutrient resources that are unavailable to shallower-rooted crops, which improves soil fertility.
Q: What is the historical origin of the practice of green manuring?
A: Historically, the practice of green manuring can be traced back to the fallow cycle of crop rotation, which was used to allow soils to recover.
Q: What are the benefits of green manure as a cover crop?
A: The benefits of green manure as a cover crop include weed suppression, prevention of soil erosion and compaction, and providing forage for pollinating insects, in addition to improving soil fertility.
