The AgroDiversity Toolbox

Incorporating cover crops and living mulches (known as ‘subsidiary crops’) into your cropping systems can improve the sustainability of your land (e.g. increase soil fertility and reduce erosion) and reduce the use of inputs. This resource published by the University of Kassel, Germany, is an interactive web tool based on the former OSCAR Cover crop toolbox, developed by TUM and the Organic Research Centre as part of the Optimising Subsidiary Crop Application in Rotations (OSCAR) project. The Toolbox gives you access to invaluable information on numerous subsidiary crops and consists of three main elements; a comprehensive Wiki on all aspects of diversification in agriculture, a Decision Support Tool, and a Species Database. The large interactive database of information on cover crops (e.g. botanical description, uses and cultivation etc.) can be narrowed down to your needs by specifying your geographical region and species requirements (e.g. high/low biomass, nitrogen release rate etc.). In addition to this and the well-informed Wiki, you can access a user guide, relevant research and information on the OSCAR project and numerous other projects.