Potential benefits of cover crops include improving soil organic carbon, structure and health, while decreasing weed and disease levels for following crops. Many candidate cover crop species and varieties exist. Whilst growers are beginning to investigate these, they lack local knowledge to make informed decisions.
In this project, a consortium of the Ag Ex Alliance, SANTFA, CSIRO, GRDC and the South Australia Department for Environment and Water is supporting grower groups to identify and demonstrate the establishment and management of suitable multi species cover crops across south eastern Australia.
The project will evaluate cover crops in a range of environments across south eastern Australia to access the impacts of cover cropping on:
- Soil health
- Nutrient cycling
- Organic carbon
- Invertebrate populations
- Soil moisture
Suitability of different plant species will be screened; and the optimum timing and method to terminate the cover crops will be carried out.
The project is being delivered in collaboration with:
Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board
Michael Nash (What Bugs You – Entomologist)
Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF)
Southern Farming Systems (SFS)
Agricultural Innovation and Research Eyre Peninsula (AIR EP
Upper North Farming System (UNFS)
MacKillop Farm Management Group (MFMG)
