cover-crop
Definition
- Noun:
- A crop planted to protect and enrich the soil: A "cover-crop" is a type of plant grown primarily to cover the soil, rather than for harvest. Its purposes include preventing erosion, suppressing weeds, improving soil fertility, and managing water content.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Farmers often plant a cover-crop like clover after the main harvest to prevent soil erosion. (A cover-crop is sown to shield the soil from rain and wind.)
- Using a cover-crop of rye in winter helps to add organic matter to the soil. (The rye plant enriches the ground when it decomposes.)
Advanced Usage
"to use a cover-crop": to employ a specific plant as a soil management tool.
- The gardener decided to use a cover-crop of buckwheat to suppress weeds over the summer. (Buckwheat was planted to crowd out unwanted plants.)
"to terminate a cover-crop": to end the growth of a cover-crop, often by mowing or tilling it into the soil.
- Before planting vegetables in spring, the farmer must terminate the cover-crop by tilling it under. (The cover-crop is killed and mixed into the earth to release nutrients.)
Variants and Related Words
Cover-cropping (n): the practice of planting and managing cover-crops.
- Cover-cropping is a key technique in sustainable agriculture. (The method of using cover-crops to improve soil health.)
Cover-cropped (adj): describing land that has been planted with a cover-crop.
- The cover-cropped field showed less erosion than the bare one. (The field protected by a cover-crop had better soil stability.)
Synonyms
- Green manure: a crop grown to be ploughed back into the soil to improve fertility.
- Living mulch: a cover-crop used to protect the soil surface and suppress weeds.
- Soil cover: any material, including plants, used to cover the ground.
Related Idioms
- "to plant a cover-crop": to sow a crop for soil protection, often used metaphorically in agriculture contexts.
- After the drought, the farmer planted a cover-crop to restore the land. (The action of sowing a protective crop.)