In agriculture, a living mulch is a cover crop interplanted or undersown with a main crop, and intended to serve the purposes of a mulch, such as weed suppression and regulation of soil temperature. Living mulches grow for a long time with the main crops, whereas cover crops are incorporated into the soil or killed with herbicides.
Other benefits of mulches are slowing the growth of weeds, and protecting soil from water and wind erosion. Some living mulches were found to increase populations of the natural enemies of crop pests.[1] Legumes used as living mulches also provide nitrogen fixation, reducing the need for fertilizer.
- ^ Hartwig N.L., H.. Ammon 2002 Cover crops and living mulches Weed Sci. 50: 688-699