Strategies for enhancing the performance of cover crop mixtures through species combination, seed rate configuration, and remote sensing-based monitoring

The global population continues to grow, increasing the demand for food while human activities drive environmental crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Agriculture plays a dual role: it is essential for food production but also a major contributor to these environmental problems. To achieve sustainable intensification, one promising strategy is the use of cover crops—plants grown between main cropping seasons to protect and improve the soil.

Cover crops provide numerous benefits both above and below ground. They protect the soil from erosion, suppress weeds, reduce water loss, and improve soil biological activity. Their roots capture leftover nutrients, enhance soil structure, and promote microbial diversity. Leguminous species can fix atmospheric nitrogen, while others reduce pests such as plant-parasitic nematodes. Together, these effects improve soil fertility, increase yield potential, reduce input needs, and contribute to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration.

The overall performance of cover crops—often described as ecosystem services—depends on species traits, environmental conditions, and management practices. Selecting species suited to local conditions is crucial. Increasingly, species mixtures are used to combine complementary traits and improve multifunctionality, though scientific evidence on their superiority over single species remains mixed. Recent advances in remote sensing offer promising tools to evaluate cover crop growth and ecosystem functions more efficiently, helping optimize management and maximize environmental benefits.