Key considerations in terminating cover crops

Publication date: 17-06-2026
Extent: 26 pages

Contributions by: Alyssa Essman and Ramawatar Yadav, The Ohio State University, USA; and Travis Legleiter, University of Kentucky, USA

Chapter synopsis:

The management of cover crops includes several key decisions such as species selection, and the timing and methods for establishment and termination. Cover crop termination is one of the most important factors because timely, successful termination ensures that the cover crop does not excessively compete with the following cash crop. The chapter discusses the three main methods of cover crop termination. The chapter first reviews natural termination: the use of species that die naturally over the winter. Chemical termination describes the use of herbicides. The chapter reviews issues in using herbicides on key grass and broadleaf cover crop species. Mechanical termination includes mowing, tillage, roller-crimping and undercutting. The chapter also discusses key issues such as termination timing and includes two case studies assessing the effectiveness of different termination methods.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2025.0162.22