There are a lot of agronomic benefits for planting cover crops such as soil health, soil erosion control, weed reduction, animal feed and nutrient recycling. For soybean producers dealing with soybean cyst nematode (SCN) in their fields, selection of cover crops is important since some of these can be hosts for SCN, says South Dakota State University.

Two recent studies looking at the role of cover crops in the suppression of glyphosate-resistant horseweed show cover crops alone aren't enough to control the troublesome weed. But planting soybeans green into the covers improved results considerably, says Cambridge University.