ABSTRACT
A cover crop is a secondary crop grown for the purpose of soil protection and enrichment. Cover crops are commonly used to provide organic matter and recycle nutrients for plants, suppress weeds, control diseases and pests, act as surface mulch, control soil erosion, help to develop and/or restore soil quality, promote biodiversity and bio-efficiency and improve crop yield. Cover crops are typically grass or legume species, but may comprise of other plants, such as brassicas , buckwheat, etc. Cover crops have many benefits and uses, so the answer varies according to farm field and farming operation. Cover crop use as green manure is now quite popular in diverse crop production systems. Cover crop usage in commercial potato production is helpful in alleviating the severe soil erosion recorded in Mediterranean-climate agriculture. Alfalfa is cultivated worldwide as a cover crop and green manure, as well as an important forage crop.
