Living Mulches – Technical Guide for Arable Systems

Living mulches are legume understories in cereal crops that reduce external inputs and enhance resilience. This guide offers practical, research-backed steps for integrating living mulches through undersowing, based on four years of field trials and farmer experience. It covers benefits like improved soil structure, nitrogen fixation, weed suppression, and biodiversity, alongside risks like crop competition and yield loss. Includes a detailed diary from a UK farm trial and strategies for both low-input and conventional systems. Free to access, the guide supports sustainable arable farming.