GROWING A 'living mulch' under cash crops could eliminate the need for artificial fertilisers, cut costs and boost farm productivity.

At least that is the principle behind ongoing trials of the technique, which utilises the ability of clover to fix nitrogen out of the atmosphere, and enrich the soils in which it grows without the need for applications of manufactured nitrates. Crucially, the use of clover could also greatly reduce the need to plough the soil, and this limit the release of soil carbon.

A team of six farmers is now trialling crop production with a permanent cover of clover underneath – and the key question is whether this plant can cohabit under a crop without significantly affecting its yield. If successful, the technique could become the ‘holy grail’ for environmentally friendly arable farming.

Both conventional and organic farmers are involved in the trial, which is being run through the Innovative Farmers programme with the support of AHDB, the Organic Research Centre and Organic Arable.

“There are two starting points of the group,” said the ORC's Dominic Amos. “Some are already practising long term conventional no-till and are looking to reduce chemical inputs, while others are established organic farmers looking to reduce tillage – both farming systems can learn from each other.”

Arable grower and contractor, Clive Bailye, is involved in the field lab, and hopes using living mulch will allow him to eliminate synthetic fertilisers.

“I’ve never really felt able to go fully organic,” said Mr Bailye. “Without livestock in my system we’ve never been able to facilitate that circular farm approach for building soil fertility, as I don’t want to go back to cultivation to control weeds. So, to find out how we can do organic no till, without livestock, is like the holy grail of farming."

Contract farmer and no-till specialist, James Alexander, has been trialling the living mulch over both conventional and organic land. He hopes the living mulch will reduce weeds and add fertility, and thereby eliminate the need to regularly plough, cultivate, and roll.

“Currently we have to take one third of the organic land out of production every year for clover leys, so we are losing a lot of productivity,” said Mr Alexander. “If the living mulch works though, we could drill directly into it.”

So far, the living mulch on his organic trial is going well: “The organic plot is looking really good, and there are no weeds in it. There was a very slight increase in barley yield, which was probably a bit down to the clover. At the moment we’ve got oats in the clover and the crop is looking better than on the conventional land.”

Jerry Alford, coordinator of the field lab for Innovative Farmers, added: “It is crucial that research into sustainable farming solutions is done on commercial farms so we can see the impacts this approach might have on farm businesses.

“By combining the farmers’ real-world insights with the scientific rigor of the ORC researchers and the AHDB knowledge exchange team, this trial is establishing key practical knowledge which is being put into effect in real time on the farms.”

With the demise of the old European Union basic payment Scheme, farming strategies will have to become more innovative and efficient at ‘getting more from less’, noted AHDB knowledge exchange manager Paul Hill.

“The living mulch methodology certainly fits this bill, helping to reduce variable costs, such as plant nutrition, weed control cost and chemical costs if running a conventional system, with a knock-on effects on fixed costs, including labour requirements, diesel and machinery costs.

“Along with this, it would protect the environment and reduce the farm business’ carbon footprint, so it should be a win-win strategy,” said Mr Hill.