Growth and development of six cover crops in the Czech Republic

The cultivation of cover crops brings a number of benefits and a range of species that can be used as cover crops is relatively wide. In our research, we studied the growth and development of six cover crop species: purple tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum L.), Hungarian vetch (Vicia pannonica Crantz.) and cultivated rye (Secale cereale L. var. multicaule) in a field experiment carried out in 2021–2024 on a conventional farm. The main goals were (a) to assess the cover crops in terms of their emergence rate, phenological development, height and growth intensity, stand closure and weed infestation, production of above-ground biomass and damage by cold, and (b) to answer the question what performance can be expected from the investigated species in terms of biomass production, ensuring soil cover and reduced occurrence of weeds. The cover crop species exhibited significant (P < 0.05) differences in the phenological development, growth intensity, rate of stand closure, weed infestation and production of biomass. The most rapid growth and development was shown by buckwheat which achieved the stage of fruit development and ripening. Height of plants ranged as of the last evaluation date on average from 76.4 mm in crimson clover up to 538.8 mm in purple tansy, and 555.2 mm in buckwheat. The best stand closure was recorded in purple tansy (99.2% of leaf coverage). The greatest production of above-ground fresh biomass was recorded in purple tansy (41.4 Mg ha−1) and safflower (26.4 Mg ha−1), but the greatest production of above-ground dry biomass was in purple tansy (4 Mg ha−1) and rye (3.82 Mg ha−1). With respect to effective good stand closure and competitiveness, rye and purple tansy are suitable for being grown as pure crops.