Soil Health is a complex topic that can often mean different things to different people. At its core, Soil Health promotes soils that function as a living ecosystem, enhancing productivity, environmental quality, and biological health.
Four Principles
There are four main principles to maintain soil health and function.- Minimize Soil Disturbance
- Maintain Living Roots
- Increase Biodiversity
- Maximize Soil Cover
Cover crops can contribute to all four principles.
Minimize Soil Disturbance
- Cover crops have been shown to reduce soil erosion by providing physical protection and stabilizing soil particles.
Maintain Living Roots
- Cover crops are grown during periods that would typically be left fallow. By maintaining living roots during these periods, cover crops can provide a consistent supply of carbon to provide nutrients to microbes in the soil.
Increase Biodiversity
- By nourishing diverse communities of microbes, cover crops can enhance soil microbial abundance, diversity and activity.
- Cover crops also minimize soil erosion and reduce disturbances that can disrupt microbial growth and community stability.
Maximize Soil Cover
- Soils left bare during the off-season are increasingly exposed to elements that can disrupt the soil ecosystem.
- The central concept behind cover crops is to cover and protect soils when they would typically be left bare and exposed.
Learn More
To learn more about Soil Health and what it can mean for your farm, check out the NC State Soil Health and Management website. Expert faculty discuss how North Carolina farmers can measure and improve Soil Health. This includes detailed information on how cover crops can contribute to Soil Health and management practices to maximize their impact.References
- Choudoir, M., & Ozlu, E. (n.d.). Soil Health. NC State Extension Soil Health and Management. https://soilmanagement.ces.ncsu.edu/soil-health/
