When cultivating catch crops, cease treating them solely as a source of additional payments. This consideration extends to the sowing date as well. For catch crops intended to cover the field until spring, do not delay sowing until the end of September, even though regulations related to eco-schemes may permit it. View a catch crop as integral to the main crop, and treat it as a valuable investment that will yield future benefits. Evaluate a catch crop not only by the biomass produced on the soil surface but also by the root mass that remains in the ground.

When selecting plant species for a catch crop, it is essential to have specific field objectives. These may include nitrogen fixation by legume species or soil drainage through deep-rooting plants. Both objectives can be achieved by choosing to sow catch crop mixtures, which may include up to 20 different plant species.

Division of catch crops
Cover crop cultivation should be categorized into two groups: stubble cover crops and winter cover crops, which will cover the soil until spring. For the first group, where winter crops, such as wheat, are sown after the cover crop, achieving the same benefits as from growing winter intercrops is challenging. Here, the intercrop components must be carefully selected. It is important for the plants to cover the soil tightly and provide shade, thereby limiting water evaporation. Choosing species that are efficient in water management is recommended to ensure there is no shortage for the main crop.

Ensure proper stubble management
The initial cultivation procedure prior to sowing catch crops is post-harvest cultivation. This must be executed meticulously, as it constitutes the sole cultivation step for stubble catch crops, after which the main crop will be sown in autumn. Straw must be evenly cut and distributed across the field; areas with excessive straw will impede the germination of catch crop seedlings.

Sowing depth
It is important to note that the seeds of catch crops with a high MTZ, such as peas and broad beans, must be sown at a much greater depth (4-5 cm) than those of small-seeded species, such as phacelia or mustard (maximum sowing depth of 2-3 cm). Therefore, when selecting a catch crop mixture, its composition should be analyzed in terms of sowing depth. For species like peas and phacelia, it is permissible to separate the sowing process. Heavy peas are sown broadcast onto cultivated soil, while lighter seeds are sown during cultivation with a disc harrow or a traditional cultivation and seeding unit. This procedure is costly and laborious but ensures coarse and fine seeds are placed at the appropriate depth. For ready-made catch crop mixtures, a compromise must be made, and a sowing depth of 3 cm is selected to create optimal conditions for both coarse and fine seeds.

Cover crop seeders
The Rolmako offerings encompass a comprehensive range of APV cover crop seeders, from the basic broadcast models (suitable for small working widths) to advanced pneumatic seeders. In the pneumatic models, seeds are expelled from the tank by seed rollers and transported via flexible hoses to their application site. This method is superior, as light catch crop seeds are protected from being blown away by strong winds. For winter catch crops, sowing can be integrated with post-harvest cultivation. Typically, farmers perform the initial cultivation, followed by sowing catch crops during the second, deeper cultivation. This approach is advantageous as partially mineralized straw mixes thoroughly with deeper cultivation. The catch crop seeder can be mounted on most Rolmako cultivation machines, such as a disc harrow, stubble cultivator, or mulch harrow.

When should a catch crop be sown?
The sowing date, particularly for winter catch crops, must be chosen to ensure that the plants do not flower and produce seeds in the autumn. Flowering can lead to weediness in the primary crop intended for spring sowing. Additionally, most plants start producing significant amounts of lignin, a substance that stiffens stems, during flowering, which hinders the mineralization of the above-ground parts of the catch crop.

What machines for cover cropping?
To effectively destroy the catch crop, utilizing cultivation machines with an initial knife roller is advisable. Rolmako provides a knife roller that can be mounted on disc harrows. This roller cuts the catch crop stalks into equal sections, promoting mixing and faster mineralization. When using a traditional disc harrow without first cutting the catch crop, there is a risk of plant stalks forming so-called braids. Another effective method for working with catch crops is the TurboCut knife roller, which can be mounted on the front three-point linkage, allowing work with a disc harrow or cultivator at the rear. This setup prepares the field for sowing in a single pass. Additionally, if a no-plough seeder is available, sowing can be done simultaneously by combining the TurboCut roller with a disc harrow and seeder coupling or a cultivation-sowing set with an attached seeder. The TurboCut roller is versatile, suitable for solo use or in combination with other machines. Combining multiple treatments in one pass saves time and fuel and reduces the number of field passes, thereby minimizing soil compaction and improving the growth conditions for the main crop. The TurboCut roller is also ideal for the initial cultivation of winter catch crops in spring, as it crumbles dry plants and slightly moves the soil, reducing water evaporation. Rolmako offers various machines useful in catch crop cultivation, including APV seeders, knife rollers mounted on the U693, U652, or SpeedCutter disc harrows, ProCut knife roller, and TurboCut roller.

Summary :
Cover cropping, the simultaneous cultivation of two or more plant species in the same area to benefit from their coexistence, offers numerous advantages for both the soil and the main crop. Cover crops, especially those with a deep root system, aerate the soil, improving its structure. Cover crop residues, when cut and incorporated into the soil, increase its organic matter content, enhancing quality. Cover crop plants provide soil cover, reducing the risk of water and wind erosion. Cover crops compete with weeds for light, water, and nutrients, naturally limiting weed growth. Some plants, such as legumes (e.g., peas, field beans), can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere through symbiosis with nodule bacteria, making this nitrogen available to other plants. Cover cropping is thus a technique that offers numerous benefits in sustainable and ecological agriculture, optimizing resources and increasing agricultural productivity while protecting the environment.