Use of Cover Crops in Olive Orchards in Southern Spain.

Cover crops have been promoted as an alternative to bare soil management (rather by tillage or by herbicide) in olive orchards in Southern Spain due to its ability to reduce water erosion and improve soil properties. This communication summarizes some of the cover crops alternatives currently used in the region, and reviews the main issues regarding its implementation in olive farms. It also presents the results of different studies measuring its impact in runoff and sediment losses, and top soil properties compared to traditional soil management techniques and it discuss its potential for controlling soil degradation in sloping olive orchards.