Weed & pestes control

Cover crops may be a biological 'bug' killer

While scouting corn fields in southeastern Indiana during the last three years, I've noticed fewer disease lesions of northern corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot in fields following cover crops. That could prove to be a major, underemphasized benefit. Disease lesions were more prevalent even on fields where corn was grown two years ago in a corn-soybean rotation when no cover crop was used.