Cover crops for sustainable soil management

Contributions by Professor Sjoerd W. Duiker, Dr Andy Clark, Dr Yajun Peng, Professor Jeffrey Mitchell, Professor Michelle M. Wander, Professor Deirdre Prischmann-Voldseth, Dr Nic Irvin, Dr John Wallace, Professor Heather Darby, Dr Inderjot Chahal, Dr Eric Justes, Dr Victoria Ackroyd, Mr Austin Petry, Dr Alyssa Essman, Professor Masoud Hashemi, Dr Andrew Price, Professor Humberto Blanco, Professor Matt Ryan, Dr Christina Curell, Dr Ken Staver Edited by Professor Sjoerd W. Duiker, Dr Andy Clark

Publication date:

Q1 2026

Length of book:

500 pages

Publisher

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing

Dimensions:

229x152mm
6x9"

There is a growing body of research on cover crops as a key tool in regenerative agriculture, including their multifunctional role in making agricultural systems more resilient in the face of climate change.

Cover crops for sustainable soil management provides a comprehensive review of the varied roles of cover crops in promoting soil health, how best to deploy them, as well as optimising use of different classes of cover crops in promoting soil health. The book also discusses the use of different classes of cover crops, including cool and warm season leguminous and gramineous cover crops, as well as non-leguminous broadleaf cover crops.

Part 1 Understanding the role of cover crops

1.The role of cover crops in optimising nutrient cycles: Yajun Peng, University of Guelph, Canada;
2.The role of cover crops in improving soil structure, erosion reduction and water retention: Jeffrey Mitchell, University of California-Davis, USA;
3.The role of cover crops in improving soil biological health: Michelle Wander, University of Illinois, USA;
4.The role of cover crops in improving biodiversity: Deirdre Prischmann-Voldseth, North Dakota State University, USA;
5.The role of cover crops in pest and disease control: Nic Irvin, University of California-Riverside, USA;
6.The role of cover crops in weed control: John Wallace, Penn State University, USA;
7.The role of cover crops in forage production: Heather Darby, University of Vermont, USA;
8.Assessing the effects of cover crops on cash crop yields: Inderjot Chahal, University of Guelph, Canada;

Part 2 Managing cover crops

9.Advances in modelling cover crops use and impacts: Eric Justes, INRAE, France;
10.Cover crop decision support tools: Victoria Ackroyd, USDA-ARS, USA;
11.Developments in equipment for cover crops: Austin Petry, Progressive Ag Innovation, USA;
12.Key challenges in terminating cover crops: Alyssa Essman, Ohio State University, USA;

Part 3 Cover crop species

13.Cool season leguminous cover crops: Masoud Hashemi, University of Massachusetts, USA;
14.Warm season leguminous cover crops: Andrew Price, USDA-ARS, USA;
15.Cool season gramineous cover crops: Humberto Blanco, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA;
16.Warm season gramineous cover crops: Matt Ryan, Cornell University, USA;
17.Non-leguminous broadleaf cover crops: Christina Curell, Michigan State University, USA;

Part 4 The future of cover crops

18.Strategies to increase cover crop adoption: Ken Staver, University of Maryland, USA;
19.The future of cover crops: opportunities and challenges: Sjoerd W. Duiker, Penn State University, USA and Andy Clark, formerly SARE-USDA, USA;