Catch crop

Growing catch crops is to improve and help maintain soil organic matter.

Cultivation of this type of crop helps retain nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus from leaching from the soil.

[4] To be able to get these benefits in a field there are multiple factors that have to be taken into account to obtain the most out of the catch crops.

Those factors include harvesting date, soil tillage, and sow timing being the most crucial.

When timing of sowing is postponed from the date that was recommended a decrease of catch crop efficiency, growth and over performance occurs where studies have shown a decrease uptake of N.[5] Catch crops help protect soil against water erosion through its residue which increases soil roughness.