ASApedia/Cobertura permanente en el suelo/en
Soil cover is a practice that consists of covering the soil surface with crop residues or with additional crops that can be associated with the main crop, with the aim of protecting the soil from the effects of water erosion, wind and high temperatures.
Contents
What is ground cover?
Soil cover is a practice that consists of covering the soil surface with crop residues or with additional crops that can be associated with the main crop, in order to protect the soil from the effects of water erosion, wind and high temperatures. Maintaining permanent soil cover is one of the basic and strategic principles for the protection, restoration and conservation of soils, water and biodiversity, since they act as a shield by cushioning the energy with which raindrops fall, preventing the detachment of their particles, facilitating the slow passage of water as it moves over its surface and greater infiltration into the soil.
Types of ground cover
Soil covers can be dead covers, such as stubble , or living covers, such as green manures associated with corn; they are also temporary, such as green manures themselves, and permanent, such as trees scattered in the plots. Crop residue covers are the accumulated waste of dry parts left after the previous harvest, including cover crops or green manure, and they play a very important and multifunctional role in the soil. [1]
Cover crops
Cover crops are additional crops that can be integrated with the main crop in various ways or in monoculture. They have the characteristic of growing in poor quality soils, producing large volumes of green biomass in a short time, requiring little water and having a dense root system. The different types of cover protect the soil from the effects of degradation processes, high temperatures, moisture loss, fertilize the soil, provide food for soil organisms and reduce weed populations.
Purpose of coverage
In addition to soil protection and water conservation, the primary purpose of mulches is to maintain or periodically increase the organic matter content of the soil, thereby increasing the populations of organisms that decompose it and improving its physical, chemical and biological properties . [2] When these properties of soils are restored, their essential ecosystem functions or services of providing water, nutrients and other functions are recovered , and this is when we can speak of healthy soils. Table No. 1 shows the contributions of mulches to soil, water and biodiversity management.
| Ground cover | Result | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Management of crop stubble and weed residues. |
|
|
| Green manures. | ||
| Trees associated with crops. | ||
| Perennial crops. | ||
| Pruning, trees and crops. | ||
| Crop diversification and rotation for the production of biomass for cover. |
Literature
- ↑ Water and Soil for Agriculture. (July 2, 2020). Stubble, a cover to protect the soil . https://asa.crs.org/2020/07/stubble-a-cover-to-protect-the-soil/
- ↑ Water and Soil for Agriculture. (August 25, 2020). Five benefits of promoting the water cycle for agriculture . https://asa.crs.org/2020/08/five-benefits-of-promoting-the-water-cycle-for-agriculture/
- ↑ Own elaboration.
