This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on cover crops in agriculture. The first chapter describes the contribution of cover crops to improving soil health. The chapter reviews their key role e.g. supplying a food source for soil organisms, providing a source of carbon to help build soil organic matter, enhancing nutrient dynamics in the soil and improving soil structure. The second chapter considers recent research on the benefits of cover crops in organic cultivation in areas such as soil structure and erosion control as well as nutrient cycling. It also looks at the wider role of cover crops in control of weeds, diseases and pests, promoting biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs). The third chapter highlights the use of different cover crops species to promote live or dead soil mulch cover in Conservation Agriculture systems. It also reviews how cover crops effect aspects such as soil acidity and nutrient availability, soil physical and biological properties, soil nematode control, weed control and grain yield. The final chapter reviews the role of cover crops in weed control. Cover crops are important additions to crop rotations because they suppress weeds during rotational periods when crops are absent and provide ecosystem services that enhance soil quality and fertility.

This collection features five peer-reviewed reviews on weed management in regenerative agriculture. The first chapter provides an analytical review of the adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) in Sub-Saharan Africa by smallholder farmers, focusing on the challenges posed by weed management. The chapter assesses chemical and non-chemical weed control methods and their benefits in CA systems. The second chapter considers the adoption of integrated weed management (IWM) in organic cropping systems, focussing on the key challenges that can arise as a result of this adoption. It also presents examples of successful integration between preventive, cultural and direct tactics in an IWM strategy. The third chapter highlights an increasing need for IWM strategies in the face of herbicide-resistant weeds, soil degradation and environmental contamination by herbicides. The chapter reviews the cultural techniques available to manage weeds in a sustainable manner. The fourth chapter introduces the concept of using crop rotations and cover crops as an effective and sustainable strategy for controlling weeds and looks ahead to future research in this area. The final chapter utilises four detailed case studies from across Europe to illustrate the effectiveness of combined methods to control weeds and preserve/improve farmers’ income.