More Information on Soil Organic Matter Soil Organic Matter , J. Lickacz and D. Penny, Alberta Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development. Organic Matter Management , University of Minnesota Extension Service. Choosing a Cover Crop Columbia Basin Cover Crops Cover Crops and Organic Matter Cover crops can add organic matter to the soil.
Organic matter provides benefits to the soil and the subsequent crop in many different ways.
It improves the physical condition of the soil by improving soil tilth , stability of soil aggregates , water infiltration , air diffusion, and by reducing soil crusting . The addition of organic matter can also increase the populations of soil microbes and earthworms, which in turn, contribute to e fficient nutrient cycling and improvements in soil structure. Finally, organic matter additions can also increase nutrient retention in the root zone. For more information on soil biology, go to the Soil Biology Primer . When it comes to increasing a soils organic matter, there are differences between cover crops.