ABSTRACT
The term ‘cover crops’ is used to describe the crops as one of the components of the sustainable agricultural management practices, that cover the soil to protect from erosion, improve soil quality and enhance agro-ecosystem services. Legumes are usually used as cover crops for green manuring, as they fix the nitrogen (N) from the atmosphere via biological N fixation in soil to provide it to the grain crops. In winter, small grain crops, such as winter rye, wheat, barley, oats and triticale are used as cover crops. In a natural ecosystem, the soil is covered most of the time by growing plants that maintain soil moisture through the transpiration of water, increasing rainfall infiltration, fixing carbon, keeping reactive nutrients like N and phosphorus in place, preventing runoff and supporting soil flora and fauna. Soil erosion and water quality not only depend on agricultural management practices, but also natural factors, such as natural vegetation, climate and topography.
