Nitrogen fertilizer replacement indexes of legume cover crops in the derived savanna of West Africa

Using a three year trial in Nigeria, this article examines the effectiveness of leguminous cover crops on maize yield in West Africa. Testing multiple types of cover crops, the study universally demonstrates the cover crops conserve nitrogen and result in improvements for maize yield in both drier and wetter years. While the cover crop was more effective in improving nitrogen in wetter conditions, yields still improved during the drier year with the cover crop.