cover crop

American  

noun

1. a crop, usually a legume, planted to keep nutrients from leaching, soil from eroding, and land from weeding over, as during the winter.

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cover crop British  

noun

1. a crop planted between main crops to prevent leaching or soil erosion or to provide green manure

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Etymology

Origin of cover crop

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cover crop

In other areas of the state, they are grown primarily as a cover crop, a plant grown to control weeds and promote soil health.

From Salon ● May 14, 2025

There’s the crawling vines of the beans, the cover crop of the squash grown below, and the shade being produced by the cornstalks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024

Swiss-headquartered agrichemicals and seeds group Syngenta began offering a cover crop seed mixture in Spain this year.

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2023

Brandt also touted cover crops and other sustainable farming practices, and ran a cover crop seed company and a seed-cleaning business on his 736-acre farm in Carroll, Ohio.

From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2023

Repeat previous year's treatment, varying the time of sowing cover crop according to conditions.

From Apple Growing by M. C. Burritt