The influence of green manures as winter cover crops and these combined with composted cattle manure on soil properties, biodiversity indicators and crop yield was studied in a crop rotation experiment in three organic systems at the Estonian University of Life Sciences.
The use of green manures as winter cover crops and their combination with cattle manure brought tendencies to improve the soil quality: increased content of organic carbon, pH, soil water permeability, soil water holding capacity, soil microbial activity and abundance of earthworms and ground dwelling arthropods. Depending on the year, yield level of all main crops was increased due to improved soil properties caused by green manures
