In planting system, we need cover crop to protect soil surface from dry weather and keep soil nutrition available for next season. Unfortunately, soil types in my working area contain more clays. Since long time ago, our farmers interesting used chemical fertilizers because easy to find it.
If more clay why cover crop? I think for sandy soil, cover crop are planted.
dear Aqleem Abbas,
Thanks your answer, what can I do with soil contain more clay? I just want to know what plant suitable for this area?
Regards,
Sri
Persian clover is well adapted to silty clay loam soils as well as Balansa and Berseem clovers as long as during the establishment period conditions are not extremely cool and wet.
Dear J.J. Varco,
Thank you very much your information about the plants.
regards,
Sri
Dear Sri Nuraminah,
In our conditions, with silty clay loam soils, 25% clay, we have been working with winter cover crops, barley and vetch, for many years, with satisfactory outcomes.
Regards
In my experience in Ireland and silty loams (fairly heavy to work and very sticky when wet), Rye or Rye/Vetch mixtures work well for winter soil cover (sow September/October, plough in at beginning of March), For spring to autumn cover I would advise to experiment with Phacelia, Buckwheat and Lupin or mixes thereof. You would have to experiment a bit to find what works best for you.
If I have to pick the best two, I would say Rye for winter and Phacelia for summer.
Dear Maria Alonso-Ayuso and Matteo Petitti
Thank you very much your interesting and useful information.
Regards
Sri
Dear Sri Nuraminah
In our dry environment ,silty clay soils farmers used Egyptian Clover and some cultivate Alfalfa for perennial crop purposes as cover and Nitrogen fixation crops >
for your tropical condition perennial peanut which is ornamental would be good for improving the nutrient state and reducing erosion and weed issues.
Dear Sri Nuraminah,
some of the best cover crops for clay soil are clover, winter wheat and buckwheat. You may also select crops with deep tap roots, like alfalfa and faba beans, to pull nutrients into the top soil from the subsoil while, at the same time, breaking up the compact clay.
Clovers are very good. You have to take into account wheather conditions too.
we can choose any one of the above said but season holds the prime position. so choose as per the season (rabi or kharif).
In general, you need to cover the land so you should plant any forage plant viz., Berseem clover, Alfalfa and am agree with Dr. I am Dilip Kumar Kundu
I support Dr. Kundu's recommendation of buckwheat for clay soils. Buckwheat is effective at aggregating clays so that the soil is more friable the following season. The challenge is that buckwheat roots are very fine, so they will not grow well in a compacted or waterlogged soil, and clays are quite prone to both of those conditions.
My experience with buckwheat is from the temperate areas where buckwheat is commonly raised. There may be challenges to using it as a cover crop in an area as tropical as Sulawesi.
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