CATCH Crops
The benefits, management
and their role in compliance
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Contents
2
Introduction
3
The benefits of catch crops
4
Greening implications and crop diversification
5
Catch crops
7
GLAS scheme
8 – 11
The benefits of catch crops
To
comply
with
Greening
Rules
Control
nematodes
Prevent
nutrient
leaching
Catch crop options
12
Mixture options
14
Management of catch crops
15
Notes
Control
pests and
diseases
Nitrogen
fixation
WHY GROW
CATCH CROPS?
Soil
conditioning
Improve
drainage
Forage for
livestock
Reduce soil
erosion
Improve
soil organic
matter
Introduction
In recent years we have seen renewed interest in the use of catch crops in Ireland. Also
known as cover crops or green manure, catch crops have a role to play within regulatory
requirements for green cover under the new GLAS (Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment
Scheme) rules, but the increased interest is more about farmers’ desire to use them to
improve crop productivity and soil structure.
There are different options available in terms of the species or mixtures that can be used as
catch crops. In this guide we aim to help explain the requirements for catch crops under
GLAS and examine the benefits of growing catch crops. We also explore the suitability of
different crops and mixture options to different requirements.
We hope you will find this guide useful when planning an effective catch crop programme.
N • P • K • S • Ca
Residual
Nutrients
N • P • K • S • Ca
2
CAPTURE or “CATCH”
N • P • K • S • Ca
Holding nutrients in place
Catch crops can increase the
availability of nutrients for
the next cash crop by taking
up residual nutrients in the
soil and “catching” or holding
them in plant tissue until
they are released the
following spring.
Release
N • P • K • S • Ca
3
Greening implications and crop diversification
Catch crops can play a very important role in fulfilling Greening obligations.
Greening rules
Crop diversification
1. As an EFA
A summary of information is provided below. For further
details on these notes please see www.agriculture.gov.ie or
email [email protected]
Crop diversification is designed to encourage a diversity of
crops on holdings which have arable land. There is no crop
diversification requirement where a farmer holds less than ten
hectares of arable land. Where a farmer holds between ten and
thirty hectares of arable land, he is obliged to grow at least two
crops of which the primary crop shall not cover more than 75%
of the arable land of the holding. Where a farmer holds more
than thirty hectares of arable land, he is obliged to grow at
least three crops of which the main crop shall not cover more
than 75% of the arable land while the two main crops together
shall not cover more than 95% of the arable land. These
thresholds are summarised in the following table.
2. When grown in GLAS under equivalence they negate the necessity for crop diversification
Greening forms an essential part of the Basic Payment Scheme
(BPS). Farmers who participate in the BPS from 2015 must
implement the three standard Greening measures as follows:
• Crop diversification
• Permanent grassland
• Ecological Focus Area (EFA)
Catch crops can be either (i) under sown grass with main crop or (ii) a mixture of seeds from the following lists.
List of prescribed catch crops
CATCH CROP SPECIES
Seed rate (Kg/ha)
CATCH CROP SPECIES
Seed rate (Kg/ha)
Buckwheat
35 – 50
Rye
70 – 90
Crimson clover
10 – 15
Tillage radish
6
Berseem clover
10 – 15
Vetch
30 – 50
Forage/fodder rape
3–5
Leafy turnip
5
Mustard
15 – 20
Peas
30
Oats (& black oats)
75 – 100
Beans
100 – 120
Percentages
Phacelia
5 – 10
Additional species may also be considered eligible provided the objectives of the measure are met. Email: [email protected]
Crop diversification
Amount of arable land
Number of crops
Less than 10 hectares
No crop diversification obligation
Between 10 and 30 hectares
At least two different crops
Main crop not more than 75% of
the arable land
More than 30 hectares
At least three different crops
Main crop not more than 75% of arable
land. Two main crops together not more
than 95% of arable land.
Note: Spraying volunteer cereals is permitted within the catch crops to prevent a carryover of disease through the green bridge.
Winter wheat being direct drilled into a forage rape catch crop
Ecological Focus Area (EFA)
Farmers whose holdings include more than 15 hectares of
arable land must ensure that at least 5% of that arable land
is allocated to EFA, unless they qualify for an exemption.
This percentage will be reviewed in 2017 at which time it
may increase to 7%.
Land that is considered as EFA may include any one or more
of the following.
• Arable land laying fallow
• Terraces
• Landscape features (hedges with a width of up to 10
metres, ponds of up to a maximum of 0.1 hectare, ditches
with a maximum width of 6 metres including open
watercourses for the purpose of irrigation or drainage, trees
in line or in groups, field margins, traditional stone walls)
4
• Buffer strips (including buffer strips along watercourses
under the nitrates regulation)
• Strips of eligible hectares along forest edges
• Areas of short rotation coppice with no use of mineral
fertiliser and/or plant protection products
• Land covered by agro-forestry
• Areas with catch crops, or green cover, established by the
planting and germination of seeds using a mixture of crop
science or by under-sowing grass in the main crop. (Winter
crops sown in the autumn for the purpose of harvesting or
grazing are not considered as catch crops/green cover for
the purpose of EFA)
• Areas with nitrogen fixing crop (if not used for the
purposes of crop diversification)
5
Nitrogen fixing crops
GLAS scheme
th
• Catch crops must be sown by 15 September
If you wish to plant and declare nitrogen fixing crops as EFA
area, the crops you can sow include peas, beans, lupins, clover
and alfalfa/lucerne. You cannot grow a mixture of protein crops
and grass or other arable crops. The protein crop must be in
the ground during the growing season and must not be
harvested before 15th July. Protein crops are separate crops for
the purposes of crop diversification. If you, for example, grow
peas and beans as separate crops they will be regarded as two
separate crops.
• Use a mixture of at least two crops from the list of
prescribed crops
• Light cultivation techniques must be used for sowing –
ploughing is not permitted
• Catch crops must remain in place until 1st December
Areas under peas, beans and lupins are also eligible for
payment under the Protein Aid Scheme, but clover or
alfalfa/lucerne do not qualify.
• Grazing of catch crops is not permitted before
1st December
As in the case of land declared as fallow, it is not possible to
declare hedges, drains, buffer strips or copses situated on land
parcels declared as fallow for EFA purposes as these landscape
features cannot be counted twice. In addition, while you may
sow cover crops after harvesting protein crops, it cannot be
declared as an EFA area as the same parcel cannot be declared
twice in the one year as an EFA area.
• Cover crops sown for the purpose of equivalence do not
qualify for EFA
Each hectare of cover crops/winter cover is equivalent to 0.3
hectare of EFA.
Catch crops sown for the purpose of equivalence do not
qualify for EFA
Each hectare of protein crops is equivalent to 0.7 hectares
of EFA.
Note: The same parcel cannot be used for two EFA
measures in the same scheme year – e.g. protein crops
followed by winter cover. In the case of areas under cover
crops, it is also not possible to declare hedges, drains, buffer
strips or copses situated on land parcels declared as fallow
for EFA purposes as these landscape features cannot be
counted twice for EFA purposes.
Soil
Pest/disease
conditioning
control
Nematode
control
Animal
forage
Reduce
nitrogen
leaching
Increase soil
organic
matter
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fix
nitrogen
Forage rape
•
Tillage radish
•
Mustard
•
Leafy turnip
•
Oats (& black oats)
•
•
•
Rye
•
•
•
Vetches
•
•
•
•
Peas
•
•
•
•
Beans
•
•
Crimson/
berseem clover
•
•
Phacelia
•
•
Buckwheat
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Legumes such as vetches can fix nitrogen and are of benefit in a catch crop mixture
6
7
Catch crops
To simplify the selection of catch crops we have developed a star rating to indicate the suitability of each catch crop to
conventional Irish conditions. We have taken into consideration that the crop will not be sown until late summer/ autumn, the
potential benefits of the crop, the price and availability of the crop and its suitability to Irish growing conditions. In some case the
recommended sowing rate will be higher than the rate outlined below due to the method and timing of sowing.
= less suitable as a catch crop in Ireland
= suitable as a catch crop in Ireland
Leafy turnip
A member of the brassica family, with high early vigour.
Their deep rooting will help condition the soil and relocate
nutrients from the sub-soil to the top. Will also help reduce
nitrogen leaching.
Sowing rate: 5 kg/ha
Forage rape
Frost tolerance: Good
Can be grazed after 1st December as a forage for cattle or
sheep. Rapid growing ability with good winter hardiness.
A high energy feed for grazing ruminants.
Biomass: Yields of 3 – 5 t DM, suitable as a forage crop
Pests & Diseases: Generally not a problem, but
clubroot could become an issue if brassicas are used
as a cover crop over a period of years.
Sowing rate: 3.0 -5.0 kg/ha
Frost tolerance: Good
Biomass: Can yield 4 – 6 t DM/ha
Pest & diseases: Generally not a problem, but
clubroot could become an issue if brassicas are used as
a cover crop over a period of years
Oats & Black Oats
Tillage radish
A deep rooting plant which extracts nutrients from deep
in the profile and helps open channels in the soil for
subsequent crops. Improves water movement and
drainage and increases airflow through the soil.
Provide cover over the winter to help reduce soil
erosion due to good tillering capacity. Oats have poor
winter tolerance and are easily killed and worked back
into the soil. Useful for weed suppression and as a
nurse crop with hairy vetch.
Sowing rate: 75 -100 kg/ha
Sowing rate: 6 kg/ha
Biomass: Reasonable
Frost tolerance: Poor – frost will help decay
tillage radish and thus avoid the requirement
for chemical spray.
Pests & Diseases: Generally not a problem
Frost tolerance: Poor
Biomass: Will generate large biomass quickly
Pest & diseases: Generally not a problem, but
clubroot could become an issue if brassicas are used
as a catch crop over a period of years
Peas
Mustard
A rapidly growing annual which will help reduce nitrogen
leaching, and also supress weeds.
Peas have good nitrogen fixation abilities and can be
sown as a nitrogen fixing crop in an area declared as an
EFA. Generally, peas are not suited for sowing after a main
cereal crop as it is too late in the season for them to
establish.
Sowing rate: 15- 20 kg/ha
Sowing rate: 30 kg/ha
Frost tolerance: Low frost tolerance, but this helps in
its incorporation as it will be largely diminished over
the winter
Frost tolerance: Poor
Biomass: Rapid growing with relatively good biomass
produced
Biomass: Good if sown early in the season
Pests & Diseases: Generally not a problem
Pest & diseases: Generally not a problem, but
clubroot could become an issue if brassicas are used
as a cover crop over a period of years
8
9
Beans
Beans, like peas have excellent nitrogen fixation
abilities and can be sown as a nitrogen fixing crop in
an area declared as an EFA. Beans are not suited for
sowing after a main cereal crop as it is too late in the
season for them to establish.
Sowing rate: 100 – 120 kg/ha
Frost tolerance: Poor
Biomass: Good if sown early in the season
Pests & Diseases: Generally not a problem
Phacelia
A rapidly growing crop, which will reduce nitrogen
leaching and supress weeds, with a beneficial root
structure.
Sowing rate: 5 – 10 kg/ha
Frost tolerance: Low - will break down after a
moderate frost
Biomass: Lower biomass than many other cover crops,
but it works extremely well as part of a mixture and the
recommendation would be to sow it with other
cover crops
Pest & diseases: Generally free from pests and disease
problems
Vetches
Buckwheat
An excellent crop for fixing nitrogen and competing
against weeds. This is probably the most suitable legume
for sowing as a cover crop due to its ability to fix nitrogen
at lower temperatures than many other legumes.
Establishes quickly and helps supress weeds. A rapidly
growing crop which will help reduce nitrogen leaching.
Buckwheat is good to scavenge phosphate in the soil
which it takes up and makes available for subsequent
crops after incorporation.
Sowing rate: 30 – 50 kg/ha
Frost tolerance: Good frost tolerance
Biomass: Rapidly produces a large biomass
Pest & disease problems: Generally few pest and
disease problems
Sowing rate: 35 – 50 kg/ha
Frost tolerance: Poor – will breakdown following the
first frost
Biomass: Will produce relatively large amounts of
biomass
Pest & diseases: Generally not a problem
Crimson clover/ Berseem clover
Rye
Clovers have excellent capability to fix N, at soil
temperatures above 8°C, and so will be less effective over
the winter period. Not particularly well suited to
August/September sowing.
Extensive and deep rooting so excellent for soil
conditioning. Effective at reducing nitrogen leaching over
the winter
Sowing rate: 10–15 kg/ha. Avoid sowing too deep (no
more than 10mm)
Frost tolerance: Berseem clover is sensitive to frost.
Crimson clover can tolerate frost
Biomass: Moderate
Pests & Diseases: Generally not a problem
10
Sowing rate: 70 – 90 kg/hectare
Frost tolerance: Good frost tolerance
Biomass: Will produce relatively large amounts of
biomass
Pest & diseases: Monitor the new plants as they
establish for leatherjackets, slugs and frit-fly. The
established crop suffers from few pests and diseases.
11
Mixture options
At Germinal, we have designed a range of mixtures, to bring the optimum benefits to your soil between cash crops. Our mixtures
are specially designed with different species to extend the functionality of the mixture. Rapidly growing species are selected to
supress weeds and quickly provide green cover thus increasing the organic matter of the soil. Species with deep or large root
structures have been included to condition the soil, improve drainage and also help aerate the soil and scavenge nutrients from
the deeper layers.
We recommend you select one of the following mixtures when sowing your catch crop.
Soil Booster Max
5kg tillage radish - 1kg phacelia - 19kg spring vetch
This mixture provides rapidly growing green cover which will help condition
the soil and reduce erosion. The spring vetch will fix atmospheric Nitrogen and
boost the overall performance of the cover crop mixture. Phacelia is rapidly
growing and will quickly provide green cover and help reduce nutrient loss
from the soil. The long taproot of the tillage radish will condition the soil and
improve soil structure, by helping to increase air movement and improve
drainage. The taproot will also help scavenge nutrients from lower down in
the soil and bring them to the upper layers, where the next cash crop can
utilise them.
KEY BENEFITS
• Quick establishment
• Nitrogen fixation
• Nutrient scavenging & reduced
nutrient leaching
• Soil condition – improve drainage
and air movement
• Reduced erosion due to rainfall
• Supress weeds
Soil Booster Plus
6kg tillage radish - 2kg phacelia - 2kg forage rape
This mixture provides rapidly growing green cover which will help condition
the soil and reduce erosion. Phacelia is rapidly growing and will quickly
provide green cover and help reduce nutrient loss from the soil. The long
taproot of the tillage radish will condition the soil and improve soil structure,
by helping to increase air movement and improve drainage. The taproot will
also help scavenge nutrients from lower down in the soil and bring them to
the upper layers, where the next cash crop can utilise them. This mixture will
provide good ground cover to help reduce soil erosion.
KEY BENEFITS
• Rapid establishment
• Nutrient scavenging and reduced
nutrient leaching
• Soil conditioning
• Supress weeds
Soil Booster Graze
6kg forage rape - 4kg leafy turnip
This mixture will scavenge nutrients, condition the soil and can also be used as
a forage option for grazing animals after the 1st December. A rapidly growing
mixture which will quickly establish green cover. This mixture will reduce
nutrient leaching and condition the soil by improving soil structure through
drainage, aeration and reducing erosion.
This mixture will provide a valuable high energy feed for winter grazing of
cattle and sheep. It has outstanding winter hardiness. Animals will require
constant access to water and a fibre source such as silage if grazing
this mixture.
12
KEY BENEFITS
• Rapid growth
• Soil conditioning
• Reduce nutrient leaching
• Supress weeds
• Suitable for grazing after 1st December
13
Management of catch crops
Sowing:
Rapid establishment of catch crops following harvest will
ensure there is adequate moisture for germination before
stubbles dry out from lack of cropping cover.
When to sow?
Spring or autumn times are the best times to grow catch crops.
In the autumn the earlier that they can be established the
better, to make use of longer days and warmer ground
temperatures. Every day counts once the cereal crop
is harvested.
How to sow and establish?
Drilling a catch crop keeps the soil growing all the time.
The leakage of nitrogen is limited to a minimum and the
organic matter that will be incorporated in the top soil
level is maximised.
Catch crops can be drilled directly into stubble or broadcast
onto cultivated ground. Rolling is important to ensure soil to
seed contact and maximise the efficient use of soil moisture
for germination and growth.
Since all mixes contain a mixture of small and big seed a
sowing depth of 1.5cm to 3cm is recommended. It is important
to ensure soil-to-seed contact and maximise the efficient use
of soil moisture for germination and growth.
Notes
Fertiliser
Farmyard manure/compound fertiliser could be applied prior
to cultivation/drilling to provide the growing plants basic
nutrients. This will maximise growth and subsequent biomass
for grazing or cover for overwintered crops. Nutrients applied
will be taken up by the growing catch crop and released upon
breakdown in the spring to the following cash crop. Where
sown as a Greening requirement, minimal fertiliser if any at all
is recommended. However if intending to graze the catch crop,
applications of nitrogen and phosphate are essential to
increase yield.
Incorporation of the catch crop
Generally temperatures in this country are not low enough
to kill the crop, so it is recommended to burn them off with
a herbicide or cut with a flail mower. Incorporation then can
generally be done by ploughing or rotavating. After burning
off, the catch crop can be incorporated by discing and the cash
crop can be drilled in.
Drilling directly into stubble is a good establishment option
Find out more
A selection of brochures and
technical manuals are available
free on request from Germinal
Forage Seed
2015
The Value
of Grass
Award Winning
Forage Options
A guide to the
nutritional composition
of grazed and ensiled grass
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