Cover plants with high coverage index and biomass productivity provide a better soil protection, cushioning the impact of the raindrops on the soil surface, thus reducing the erosion process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of cover crops and plant spacing in the control of soil, water and nutrient of this study losses by water erosion, aiming the soil conservation. The experiment was conducted in the Red-Yellow Argisol, with three treatments of cover crops; sunn hemp, jackbean and millet, in two row spacing (0.25 and 0.50 m). To quantify the loss of soil, water and nutrients, plots of 4 x 12 m were used, and the larger dimension followed up and down slope. During the months of December and January there were the highest erosivity values, requiring in this period a better coverage of the soil surface. The jackbean was the species with the highest potential in the erosion control; and the spacing that promoted the best soil protection for all crops was 0.25 m, providing lesser losses of soil, water and nutrients.
sunn hemp; jackbean and milhet
