Opportunities and limits of mulch seeding

摘要

An account is given of mulch seeding with mustard (or ryegrass) as an intermediate cover crop to protect against erosion during the period between the harvesting of wheat or barley and the sowing of maize the following spring. This mulch-seeding isnow a well-established practice on farms in Bavaria, Germany. The mustard seed is spread on the freshly grubbed field, and by the end of October the crop is homogeneous and has a height of～1 m. Weeds and spilt grain are sprayed with Roundup [glyphosate]Ultra (2 litres/ha) in early April, and 20 m3 pig slurry is applied per ha, immediately before sowing the maize in late April.