Activities

(see additional information field)

Additional information

In addition, it delivers ecological benefits by increasing the duration of soil cover in the overall rotation, contributing to species diversity, minimising the need for tillage and agrochemicals, enhancing Nitrogen fixation and Carbon content, and reducing water demand in dry climates while improving soil workability in wetter climates.

To achieve these goals, it is crucial to select the appropriate type of plant to be used as living mulch or cover crop. The Oscar project developed an interactive tool to help identify the species to use for different conditions, goals and crops.

The tool starts with a basic questionnaire to determine the demands in relation to geographical region, type of soil, and crop characteristics and use. For example: should the species be adapted to clay or sandy soils? Is a good suppression of weeds or diseases desired? Any restrictions due to biomass volume or soil depth? The answers submitted will generate a ranking of plants that fall within the specifications and the tool will display results ordered by their relevance to the requirements. By then clicking on the name of a particular plant, a data sheet will open providing a full profile and in some cases also recommendations on how to manage it (e.g. sowing date and density or cutting).

The Toolbox is available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish versions will be available in the future. Some of the plant names have already been translated into Ger