Finding
Alternatives to Burning Leftover Straw
By David
Elstein
February 19, 2004 Chopping up straw or turning it
into an on-farm source of fuel are two alternatives that
Agricultural Research Service scientists
are exploring to replace the practice of burning straw that remains after
harvesting grass seed.
Beginning in the 1940's, farmers burned post-harvest straw residue as an
easy and economical means of clearing the straw from fields and controlling
diseases, insects and weeds.
During recent years, however, this practice has been phased out by many
jurisdictions in response to environmental and safety concerns.
ARS recently completed a 10-year study to find alternatives to managing
grass seed production without burning the leftover straw. Scientists at the ARS
National Forage Seed Production
Research Center in Corvallis, Ore., report that chopping straw or turning
it into fuel are two alternatives that make economic sense for farmers while
maintaining the high quality of seed from the Pacific Northwest.
The researchers found that chopping the straw into very small pieces and
placing it back on the field increases the straw's rate of natural
decomposition. This practice does not hurt yields in most grass crops, and
combined with the use of no-till farming, it reduces soil erosion and enhances
the water quality of adjacent streams. Both of these methods are cheaper than
using traditional tillage.
Gary M. Banowetz, research leader at the Corvallis center, is also leading a
research effort to turn straw into electricity or other bio-products, such as
liquid alcohol fuels, on the farm, so straw that is not chopped back onto seed
fields doesn't have to be shipped elsewhere for disposal.
Additional research in this study looked at the impact of alternative straw
management on the occurrence of blind seed, a fungal disease in grass seed
crops previously controlled by post harvest burning.
Read more information about this research in the February issue of
Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
|