In humid climates, there is a high risk of topsoil loss from erosion on bare soil as well as nitrogen from fertilizers leaking or leaching from the soil into water sources, which can cause groundwater pollution. This is especially true in the fall, after potato harvest, and in the spring, due to melting snow.
Planting cover crops is gaining momentum in potato-growing regions across Canada due to their ability to reduce soil erosion. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) scientist, Dr. Judith Nyiraneza, has discovered that winter cover crop varieties planted post-harvest prove to be beneficial to the environment and to soil quality.
In Prince Edward Island (PEI), for example, approximately 40 per cent of farmers
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