Mia Makovsky’s Post

Role of cover crops against plant pathogens 🚜🌱🔎🦠🧫 🌱Cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. They are grown to protect the soil between main crop rotations or during fallow periods. 🫛Cover cropping with legumes involves growing the plants, then slashing the crop and leaving it on the soil surface. Leaving the crop on the soil surface reduces soil erosion, conserves soil moisture, enhance soil nutrient contents and also improves soil physical structure. 🚜Cover crops are not a new practice, but there is renewed interest in using cover crops aside from conservation and soil productivity improvements. 🦠Cover crops can play significant role in disease management in agricultural fields. With cover cropping strategies, farmers can effectively reduce the incidence and severity of various soil-borne diseases. 🔎Some cover crops have allelopathic properties and they release natural chemicals that inhibit the growth of certain soil-borne pathogens. 🪱Certain cover crops are known for their ability to suppress nematode populations. These plants release natural compounds into the soil that can disrupt nematode life cycles and reduce their populations. 🔄Healthy soils are rich in organic matter due to cover crop decomposition and they promote a diverse and active microbial community. Beneficial soil microbes can help suppress plant pathogens through competition for resources and the production of antagonistic compounds. 💦Some diseases thrive in waterlogged or excessively wet conditions. Cover crops with deep root systems can help improve soil drainage and aeration, reducing the risk of water-related diseases like root rot. 📌Planting non-host cover crops in between susceptible crops disrupts the pathogen's life cycle, preventing it from building up in the soil and infecting subsequent crops. 📓Related references: https://lnkd.in/gCmPSDqw https://lnkd.in/gkrPfrga https://lnkd.in/gb_ueXxb 📸Image credit: https://lnkd.in/gQQZiUGf #linkedin #linkedinlearning #linkedinmarketing #covercrops #soil #conservation #agriculture #plantdisease #india #syngenta #knowledge #learning