Cover crops play a crucial role in agroecology, protecting soils against erosion, improving soil nutrients, and providing an alternative to herbicides. However, comprehensive evaluations of their effects on ecosystem services, soil health, and yield are limited. This study assessed the effects of clover-based cover crops ( Trifolium spp.) on provisioning (yield and fruit quality), regulating (soil pollution and mycorrhizal colonisation), and supporting (soil nutrient status and bulk density) ecosystem services. The experiment was conducted over 3 years in a commercial peach orchard comparing cover crop treatments with conventional herbicide application and spontaneous vegetation cover. The influence of cover crops on provisioning services was not statistically significant. However, all cover crop treatments contributed to improving the regulating services related to soil contamination by pesticides, with total pesticide concentration reduced by 41% to 65% relative to herbicide treatment. Regarding supporting services, white clover ( Trifolium repens L.) significantly enhanced soil nutrient status. Specifically, soil under white clover showed higher nitrate-N content than spontaneous vegetation (15.93 mg.kg -1 vs. 5.17 mg.kg -1 ) and higher total P content than herbicide-treated soil (108.3 mg.kg -1 vs. 78.0 mg.kg -1 ). Additionally, all cover crop treatments were associated with lower available Cu content compared with herbicide application (3.89-6.45 mg.kg -1 vs. 12.67 mg.kg -1 ).
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Veloso et al. (2026) studied this question.
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