Managing stubble between harvest and sowing

摘要

The way crop residue is managed between harvest and sowing depends on many factors. These include the amount of residue left on the paddock, the characteristics of the residue post harvest and the amount of residue the available sowing equipment can handle. Some growers, who also run livestock, use stubble paddocks as valuable summer feed and in the process the livestock break up the stubble to aid decomposition. Others use mechanical means to mulch the residue and may add a biological residue break-down product to further enhance decomposition. While standing and surface-contact stubbles generally break down more slowly than incorporated stubbles, the management methods used are more dependent on the amount of summer rainfall expected to aid in decomposition and the level of groundcover and anchored stubble needed to prevent wind or water erosion.