the advantages of short plant covers

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Vegetable producer in Plouvorn, Lionel Grall joined his father on the family farm in 2003. Over the years, practices shifted towards organic farming and the conversion took place in 2018, when his father retired.

Strict specifications

Member of the Bio Breizh cooperative, the farm produces fresh vegetables, cauliflower, romanesco, smooth cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale, leek and artichoke on 24 ha, which it sells to wholesalers Poder and Pronatura, “with stricter specifications than organic”, specifies the farmer . 8 ha are also dedicated to vegetables industry, green beans and peas, sold through the Eureden cooperative. To help him, Lionel Grall employs two permanent staff, supported by 3 or 4 seasonal workers in winter.

A GIEE to test short cutlery

With 13 other vegetable producers, conventional, organic or HVE certified, high environmental value, spread across the entire vegetable growing area of ​​northern Finistère, Lionel Grall is part of the GIEE Coleg, the economic and environmental interest group covered by plants in open field vegetable systems. “Through plant cover, we also work onr nitrogen, carbonmanagement of weeds or theerosion », Lists Vincent Salou.

Multiple interests

Conducted since 2022, platform tests on short spring plant covers have already produced initial results. “ The advantages are numerous”, indicates the crop advisor at the Chamber of Agriculture, citing a biomass of 2 to 5 tonnes of dry matter per hectare, and good competition from weeds, since the fresh mass of the latter is reduced to 86% compared to bare ground.

Limit erosion

“The ground being covered between two cabbage crops, there is no need to pass a tool to keep the plot clean “. The surface condition of the soil and its porosity are improved, and water infiltration is better in the event of heavy rain, “which is interesting during spring storms”. The soil structure is also improved for the next crop, “and the bearing capacity of the ground is best during the cabbage harvest. Finally, these cutlery also have an interest for pollinatorsin spring.

Within the framework of the GIEE, we will now try to quantify the cost of these plant covers in relation to what they bring us.

Cover crops to sow early

The earlier they are sown, the more effective the cover crops are. ” But the semis date is very dependent on the weather, and can vary from the beginning of March to the end of April, depending on the year,” indicates Vincent Salou. The species and varieties chosen must be rapid development, since they will only stay in place for 2 to 3 months. And it will be necessary break cover earlyto avoid penalizing the following crop. “In 2022, water resources were penalizing,” recalls the advisor. “Perhaps we could use probes, to know when to break the cover.”

As part of the GIEE, we have also set up a group purchasing operation for plant cover seeds: last year, we bought 2 tonnes, enough to sow nearly 100 ha

Sow and mound in one pass

The GIEE also highlighted new needs for vegetables. “Some of them now keep empty spaces in the field, between the rows and at the ends of the rows, to simplify the harvest cauliflowers.” More compacted than the rest of the plot, these areas are still visible the following year. “Why not establish there plant covers ? With Jean-Lou Kerboas, from Mespaul, we have adapted a hopper on bumpersin order to sow them without making an additional pass.” Tested and improved for two years at nine producers in the CoLeg group, the machine will be offered more widely from next year.

This open house at Lionel Grall, in Plouvorn (29) was organized as part of innovation week, organized by the Brittany Chamber of Agriculture, from June 18 to 20.

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