Promoting the use of Cover Crop Calculator for the Tropics as Nitrogen Management Tool and the Use of Cover Crops for Soil Health Management Guideline

Leguminous Cover Crops can contribute significant amount of nitrogen to crop production. However, farmers need a better tool to accurately estimate the nitrogen contribution from legumes so as to precisely reduce fertilizer rates. A simple calculator to address this issue was developed for Idaho and Oregon with high success rate. This project will expand on this proven technology and modify it for tropical climates and soil types in the Pacific Islands. To make the calculator more precise, variation of nutrient availability when the leguminous Cover Crops were mixed with graminaceous Cover Crops or followed by till or no-till cropping systems will also be taken into consideration. The overall goal of this project is to increase the incentive for farmers in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands to adopt cover cropping into their farming systems.