Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage
for Soil Erosion Control on Cropland
Fixing of atmospheric nitrogen - Benefits of Cover Crops
Any legume has the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere which can reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer. Stem, leaf and root residues left in the field from legumes are higher in nitrogen than grasses. The breakdown of legume plant residues commonly releases some of this nitrogen for use by the next and succeeding crops. Corn or small grains that require external sources of nitrogen can benefit from nitrogen released by a previous legume crop or cover crop.