cover crop

noun

Any of many crops planted between others or after others so as to prevent erosion and to improve soil quality (especially by adding nitrogen); such a crop is often plowed into the soil as a green manure at the end of its season. Crops often used as cover crops include legumes (e.g., clover, sweet clover, vetch), cereals (e.g., rye, oats), and roots (e.g., radishes, turnips).

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Meanings

nouncover crop (plural cover crops)

plural cover crops

  1. Any of many crops planted between others or after others so as to prevent erosion and to improve soil quality (especially by adding nitrogen); such a crop is often plowed into the soil as a green manure at the end of its season. Crops often used as cover crops include legumes (e.g., clover, sweet clover, vetch), cereals (e.g., rye, oats), and roots (e.g., radishes, turnips).

Translations

Finnish katekasvi, kesantokasvi
  • katekasvicrops planted between others in order to prevent erosion
  • kesantokasvicrops planted between others in order to prevent erosion
German Zwischenfrucht
  • Zwischenfruchtcrops planted between others in order to prevent erosion
Polish międzyplon, poplon
  • międzyploncrops planted between others in order to prevent erosion
  • poploncrops planted between others in order to prevent erosion
Spanish cultivo de cobertura
  • cultivo de coberturacrops planted between others in order to prevent erosion
Cite this entry
APA

cover crop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cover%20crop

MLA

“cover crop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cover%20crop. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cover crop,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cover%20crop.

Source: cover crop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.