Fertility and Tilth Effects of Fuel-Crop-Residue Removal

摘要

The main objective of this research was the development of a model that will assess the impact of crop residue removal for energy use on the productivity of soils. The model must be simple, of broad scale in its application, conservative in its estimation of the crop residue available for removal, and be useful on a site-specific (field) scale. This model was designed to assess the impacts of crop residue removal from agricultural lands. Five critical areas affected by crop residues have been identified and are the focus of the model. These are: nutrient removal; organic matter changes; water erosion; soil water conservation; and soil temperature. The main emphasis of the model was the assessment of the long-term effects of residue removal on soil productivity. Initial efforts were focused on the Corn Belt region where the largest quantities of crop residues are produced. Results are reported. (ERA citation 07:051713)