The positive effects of catch crops and nurse crops to the soil structure, the soil organism and the nutrient balance, as well as their effective effect against weeds, have been proven many times over.
This is why they not only play an important role in organic farming, but are also becoming increasingly popular on conventional farms.
Further advantages that speak for nurse crops are also erosion reduction and fodder use after the grain harvest. Undersowing can be a clever regulatory tool, especially in cereal stocks.If somewhat thinner stands develop due to unfavorable framework conditions, which are usually not in the farmer’s hands, nurse crops can can generate all the more abundantly and thus provide the subsequent plant with significantly better starting conditions. The weaker yield in one year can thus be compensated for in the next.
In principle, nurse crops are suitable for all types of cereals, although the mixture must always be adapted to the main crop.
The successful planting of nurse crops mainly depends above all on the soil, the rainfall and the timing. The time of seeding is between tilling and shooting of the cereal, usually after the second harrow pass.
Maize is particularly suitable for planting nurse crops because of its comparatively slow youth development, wide row spacing and plant height.
The aim here is usually to improve trafficability and the associated structural effect during harvest.
Seeding is best carried out in combination with a Disc Spreader (e.g. in the front attachment) or a Pneumatic Seeder. It is always advisable to harrow the seeds directly into the soil.
For combined use of harrow and seeder, APV offers your implements with a mounted seeder. With the Tined Weeder AS, the Rotary Hoe RH and the Tined Weeder Pro VS, APV provides implements for use on all crops.
To increase the farmer’s machine park, the Pneumatic Seeders and Disc Spreaders from APV can be retrofitted to all common implements.
Further information, as well as photos and product details, can be found on the APV website www.apv.at!
