55
The soil is alive
55
It is the key to profitable crop
production
55
Support your soil
CATCH
CROPS
Catch Crops, Cover Crops & Green Manuring
Catch Crops
Cover Crops
Green Manuring
are planted to reduce nutrient
leaching following a main
crop; the catch crop takes
up or “catches” available
nitrogen and other nutrients
in the soil
are any crop grown to
provide soil cover, regardless
of whether it is later
incorporated. The benefits of
soil cover are to prevent soil
erosion by wind and water, to
suppress weeds and reduce
insect pests and disease.
involves the soil incorporation
of any field or forage crop
while green or soon after
flowering, for the purpose of
soil improvement.
Benefits of
Catch Crops
55 Reducing leaching
55 Reducing erosion
55 Weed and volunteer crop suppression
55 Increasing biological activity
55 Adding organic matter to the soil
55 Improving soil structure
55 Root penetration of various soil horizons
55 Potential to reduce pests and disease
55 Increasing the supply of nutrients for
following crops
55 Legumes add extra Nitrogen to the soil
55 Potential to produce animal feed for use in
winter or spring
Disadvantages of
Catch Crops
44 May increase certain pests and
44
44
44
44
diseases (ensure correct crop choice
to minimise risk)
Potential for catch crop species to
become weeds in future crops (do not
allow catch crop plants to set seed)
Pressures of workload at optimum
establishment time
Successful establishment is difficult in
very dry weather
Cost of establishing and incorporating
catch crops
Short Rotation
Forage Crops
Short rotation forage crops can function as feed crops, cover crops, catch crops and as green manures when
incorporated. The green manure benefit is less than for crops that are not fed. It is important not to damage or poach
the soil when feeding the crop as this may reduce the performance of the following crop.
Goldcrop Ltd
Catch Crop Seed Mixtures 2015
Catch Crop 1
Spring Oats
Fodder Rape
FODDER RAPE & OATS
17.00 kgs
3.00 kgs
20.00 kgs
Catch Crop 2
Spring Oats
Common Vetch - Autumn Type
Fodder Rape
Leafy Turnip
16.00 kgs
4.00 kgs
Oilseed Radish
Phacelia
White Mustard
5.00 kgs
5.00 kgs
Common Vetch - Spring Type
Berseem Clover
Phacelia
Sow at 40-50 kg/ha
Good fodder production
Fixes and catches nitrogen
Will survive a normal Irish winter
Suit in rotations with cereals, beet, OSR
-
Sow at 10-12 kg/ha
Excellent option for fodder production
Catches Nitrogen & other nutrients
Will survive a normal Irish winter
Low cost
Suit in rotations with cereals, beans
SOIL ENHANCER
4.00 kgs
3.00 kgs
5.00 kgs
12.00 kgs
Catch Crop 5
-
FODDER BRASSICA MIX
10.00 kgs
Catch Crop 4
Sow at 40-50 kg/ha
Good fodder production
Catches Nitrogen & other nutrients
Will survive a normal Irish winter
Suit in rotations with cereals, beans
VETCH & OATS
20.00 kgs
Catch Crop 3
-
-
Sow at 12-15 kg/ha
Deep rooting and large root biomass
Excellent soil conditioner
Catches Nitrogen & other nutrients
Not winter hardy
Not suitable for fodder
Suit in rotations with cereals, beans, beet
SOIL HEALTH N+
6.00 kgs
5.00 kgs
3.00 kgs
14.00 kgs
-
Sow at 14-18 kg/ha
Main focus is soil health
Fixes and catches nitrogen
Not suitable for fodder
A cold winter will kill these plants
Suit in rotations with cereals, beet, OSR
Seedbed Preparation: The catch crop mixtures all contain small seeds - they require a fine and firm seedbed. Target
sowing depth at 1-2cm with a maximum depth of 3cm. Seeds need to be in good contact with soil and moisture. To
conserve water and suppress competition from volunteer cereals and rape, sow the seeds immediately after harvest
using shallow cultivations. Ensure the seedbed is well consolidated. In good sowing conditions the lower seed
rates indicated above are recommended, with difficult sowing conditions use the higher rate indicated.
Do not allow cover crop plants to set seed. If seed production is likely then the crop should be checked or
destroyed by chemical or mechanical means. Cover crops that are not used for fodder will need herbicide treatment
in spring.
Goldcrop Limited
EFAs - Catch Crops / Cover Crops
Requirements set out by DAFM in the Helpsheet for the 2015 EU Basic Payment
Scheme/Greening Payment Scheme
If an applicant has more than 15 hectares of eligible arable land, 5% of this area must be in Ecological
Focus Areas (EFAs). Catch crops count as EFAs; each hectare of catch crops/winter cover is equivalent to
0.3 hectare of EFA. Catch Crops for EFAs must be located on the arable area.
Catch cops can be either (i) under sown grass with main crop or
(ii) a mixture of seeds from the list set out below.
· Catch crops must be sown by 15th September;
· Light cultivation techniques must be used for sowing – ploughing is not permitted;
· Catch crops must remain in place until 1st December.
· The same parcel cannot be used for two EFA measures in the same scheme year;
· Each hectare of catch crops/winter cover is equivalent to 0.3 hectare of EFA.
Catch Crop Species for EFAs
Cereals
Oats
Black Oats
Rye
Brassicas
Forage Rape
Leafy Turnip
Tillage Radish
Mustard
Legumes
Vetch
Crimson Clover
Berseem Clover
Beans
Peas
Others
Phacelia
Buckwheat
GLAS - Catch Crops / Cover Crops
Requirements set out by DAFM in ‘GLAS Specification’ on 14th April 2015
1. Establish a catch crop annually by the 15th September, using light cultivation techniques (i.e. shallow
grubbing; ploughing is not permitted) and by either broadcasting or drilling the seed mixture.
2. Minimum area 10 ha (Priority Action) or 4 ha (General Action) and the maximum area is 32 ha. This
area can be rotated from one year to the next.
3. The action can be delivered on full or split LPIS parcel(s). Where the action is on a split parcel it must
be digitised out and marked on the map submitted with the GLAS application.
4. Sow a suitable cover crop which must consist of at least 2 species in an integral mix from the list
set out below.
5. The under sowing or sowing grass crops is not permitted.
6. The catch crops must remain in situ from the date of sowing to the 1st December annually.
7. While grazing of catch crops is permitted, this cannot take place until after the 1st December annually
and participants should ensure it only takes place on parcels where soil erosion is not considered by
your GLAS advisor to be an issue.
Note: Spraying volunteer cereals is permitted within the Catch Crops to prevent a carryover of disease
through the green bridge.
Catch Crop Species for GLAS
Cereals
Oats (75-100kg/ha)
Black Oats (75-100kg/ha)
Rye (70-90kg/ha)
Brassicas
Forage Rape (3-5kg/ha)
Leafy Turnip (5kg/ha)
Tillage Radish (5kg/ha)
Mustard (15-20kg/ha)
Legumes
Vetch (12kg/ha)
Crimson Clover (10-15kg/ha)
Berseem Clover (10-15kg/ha)
Beans (100-120kg/ha)
Peas (30kg/ha)
Others
Phacelia (5-10kg/ha)
Buckwheat (3550kg/ha)
Crop Diversification Exemption – Catch Crops as an
Equivalence Measure (as part of GLAS)
Requirements set out by DAFM in the Helpsheet for the 2015 EU Basic Payment
Scheme/Greening Payment Scheme
In general, farmers who declare 10 hectares or more of arable land in 2015 will be subject to the crop
diversification requirements. There are, however, a number of exemptions and the details on
Exemption 6 - Equivalence are as follows:
Exemption 6 - Equivalence
Under the provisions of Regulation 1307/2013, Member States can decide that farmers can use
equivalence measures under an Agri-Environment Scheme to satisfy the requirements of crop
diversification. Ireland will provide for equivalence under GLAS (green, low carbon agri-environment
scheme) whereby farmers who participate in GLAS and plant catch crops under that scheme will meet
the crop diversification requirement and still grow only one or two arable crops. Further details on
GLAS will be available in due course.
Note: Grass under-sown with a spring tillage crop does not qualify for equivalence but will qualify as an
EFA area if it is declared as such. If a farmer applies for equivalence and declares that all of the arable
land be sown with catch crop, these catch crops cannot also be declared as EFA areas. If a farmer is
using equivalence he or she will have to adhere to the requirements for planting crops on all of the
catch crops sown and not just on the area of catch crops that will benefit from the agri-environment aid
under the GLAS Scheme.
The requirements include the following;
· Catch crops must be sown by 15th September;
· Light cultivation techniques must be used for sowing – ploughing is not permitted;
· Catch crops must remain in place until 1st December;
· Grazing of catch crops is not permitted before 1st December;
· Catch crops sown for the purpose of Equivalence do not qualify for EFA.
· Use a mixture of crop seeds – The catch crops which must consist of at least two species from
the list set out in the table below;
Catch Crop Species for GLAS Equivalence
Cereals
Oats (75-100kg/ha)
Black Oats (75-100kg/ha)
Rye (70-90kg/ha)
Brassicas
Forage Rape (3-5kg/ha)
Leafy Turnip (5kg/ha)
Tillage Radish (5kg/ha)
Mustard (15-20kg/ha)
Legumes
Vetch (12kg/ha)
Crimson Clover (10-15kg/ha)
Berseem Clover (10-15kg/ha)
Beans (100-120kg/ha)
Peas (30kg/ha)
Others
Phacelia (5-10kg/ha)
Buckwheat (3550kg/ha)