A water quality specialist in Wisconsin says more data is needed to help determine how much cover crops help control nitrate leaching in soils.
Guolong Liang with the University of Wisconsin Extension tells Brownfield cover crops reduce nitrate leaching into groundwater but, “There are several researchers actively doing research projects on this topic however we don’t have enough data yet.”
Liang says for example, in sandy soils, the heavy rains can easily wash nitrates downward, even when using cover crops.
More data needed on cover crops and nitrogen leaching
