Manage wheat straw without burning in the field

摘要

Wheat is the second major crop of India. Total area under wheat cultivation in India is about 750 lakh acres, whereas in Punjab, it is cultivated on 87.65 lakh acres. About 80 per cent of the area under wheat in Punjab is harvested by combines. Combine harvesting has become common for rice-wheat in India and leaves behind large quantities of straw in the field. On an average, availability of wheat straw is about 20 quintals/acre. A tonne of wheat straw normally contains 4 to 5 kg of nitrogen (N), 2 to 3 kg of phosphorous (P) and 12 to 20 kg of potassium (K). On the other hand, N and P contents in the straw are more or less stable because they are present in organic forms and require microbial decomposition of the straw before theycan be leached out. in addition to major nutrients, wheat straw also contains calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulphur (S), and micronutrients. If the straw is incorporated into the soil, then the supply of these nutrients through fertilization is reduced.Also, straw incorporated into thesoil tends to improve soil structure, water infiltration and soil carbon levels.