Cover Crops Cover Crops work well in irrigated fields where moisture is not a limiting factor. Early planting of winter wheat can offset insufficient surface residues if favorable growing conditions exist. However, unfavorable fall growing conditions can eliminate any advantage to early plantings. Corn stubble is used as cover for winter wheat seeding. Using previous crop residues to protect the soil surface is the single most effective practice for controlling erosion from wind.
Crop residues vary in their effectiveness.
Fine-strawed, upright stubble in rows perpendicular to the wind are more effective than large, randomly distributed stalks lying flat on the soil surface. Relationships have been developed to indicate the relative effectiveness of most types of crop residues. Figure 5 compares the effectiveness of corn and wheat residues. Erosion control systems can be developed from a combination of practices to manage residues, ridge the soil surface, and reduce the unsheltered distance across fields. The calculations to assess the effectiveness of any set of practices is laborious.