Cover Crops

Soil Organic Matter, Green Manures, and Cover Crops for Nematode Management

W. T. Crow and R. A. Dunn

Nematode Management Using Sorghum and Its Relatives

K. Dover, K. -H. Wang, Z. J. Grabau, and R. McSorley

Sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass are often used in crop rotation systems in Florida. They produce a source of forage or silage for animal feed, and many cultivars are effective in reducing population levels of root-knot nematodes, which are key nematode pests in Florida as well as many other parts of the world. This article is intended to guide agricultural professionals in making decisions about producing sorghum and its relatives for nematode management.

Managing Cover Crops for Improved Soil Health

R. Seepaul, S. George, J. Love, D. W. Wright, C. Mackowiak, and A. Blount

This publication aims to help growers and researchers understand the role of cover crops in improving soil health. The document provides recommendations on managing cover crops and describes the benefits of growing cover crops. Written by R. Seepaul, S. George, J. Love, D. W. Wright, C. Mackowiak, and A. Blount, and published by the UF/IFAS Agronomy Department, revised January 2023.

Cover Crops for Managing Root-Knot Nematodes

Harsimran K. Gill, Zane J. Grabau, and Robert McSorley

Cover crops are grown between cash crop cycles or incorporated with cash crops to improve soil fertility and struc­ture, decrease soil erosion, and suppress weeds, insects, nematodes, and other plant pathogens. Cover crop residues can be incorporated as “green manure” to increase soil fertility for the next crop. Cover crops also help to enhance many beneficial organisms and may contribute to carbon sequestration. They help curtail the spread of nematodes because nematodes cannot migrate to another field if a cover crop is not a host to them. Instead, some of them may starve, which helps to manage their population. Fallow soil also helps keep nematode populations lower, but it may lead to erosion and other problems. Many different types of cover crops are adapted for cultivation in the southern United States, including cowpea, sorghum-sudangrass, sunn hemp, marigolds, jointvetch, sesame, grasses, rye, wheat, oats, crimson clover, vetch, lupine, and, of late, legumes.

Management of Nematodes and Soil Fertility with Sunn Hemp Cover Crop

K. -H. Wang, R. McSorley, and Z.J. Grabau

Sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea L. is a rapidly growing crop used for fiber production in India and Pakistan. It is popular as a green manure in many tropical and subtropical areas in the world, and is also valued because it suppresses weeds, slows soil erosion, and reduces root-knot nematode populations. Recently, as cultivars adapted for seed production in the southeastern United States have been introduced, there is a growing interest in rotating sunn hemp with agronomic crops in the southern United States and in using sunn hemp as a summer cover crop in Florida and other southeastern states. This publication informs agricultural professionals about the impacts of sunn hemp cover cropping on soil fertility and plant-parasitic nematodes.

Management of Nematodes with Cowpea Cover Crops

K. -H. Wang, R. McSorley, Z.J. Grabau, and E. Rios

Cover crops are grown between cash crop cycles, or intercropped with cash crops to cover the ground, such as in vegetable fields, orchards, groves, and agricultural sites. If used appropriately, cover crops can improve soil structure and fertility, decrease soil erosion, provide foliage and animal feed, and suppress crop pests such as weeds, insects, nematodes, and other plant pathogens. Residues from cover crops can be incorporated as green manure to supply nutrients and improve fertility for the next crop. Using cover crops can increase on-farm crop diversity, may enhance many beneficial organisms, and possibly even contribute to carbon sequestration. One good example of a summer cover crop is cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp, due to its fast establishment, abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, and biomass production. This publication is intended to guide agricultural professionals in the use of cowpea cover crops for managing plant-parasitic nematodes.