Definition and role in the reduction of phytosanitary products : non-competitive perennial grass cover is defined by all the herbaceous vegetation (spontaneous or sown) that does not generate problematic competition for the cash crop (non-competitive zone). This weeding has positive agronomic effects such as the protection and improvement of the soil structure, the maintenance of beneficial populations or the reduction of the transfer of inputs into the water. It can be spontaneous or sown. Moreover, if it is considered in terms of polyculture/breeding, the services rendered are extensive (plant cover used as fodder, management of the cover by grazing, supply of manure by animals, diversification of the farm). However, constraints are likely to appear if it is not mastered. Non-chemical control methods prevent grass cover (spontaneous or sown) from competing with cultivated plants for water resources, mineral elements or light.
Against which pests? Weeds.
On which crops? Roots and tubers.
When ? Before or after the installation of the culture according to the cases and during the cycle of culture.
In what conditions ? Especially when the spontaneous weeds are made up of particularly aggressive weeds or hosts of bioaggressors, when the frequency of chemical weeding becomes excessive or when mechanical weeding is difficult or even impossible.
Regulations : if service plant seeds are needed and they are not available from local professional sellers, an import request must be made to the department's DAAF food service (DAAF-Salim). Similarly, it is advisable to respect the regulations concerning invasive species when they exist and in any case, to plan a bibliographical search on this theme if the plant has never been used in the department. If a construction is necessary for the establishment of livestock for grazing, an application for a building permit is mandatory if the surface of the building is more than 20 m².
Working time: increase in working time to be planned for the successive maintenance and possibly the establishment of the cover, its mowing or the management of the animals.
Compatibility of alternative techniques with each other :
Crops
