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West Texas | Hi Don ... this is one of the reasons I grow switchgrass in 40" rows ... to better manage the straw load.
If I don't want or need more straw bales, I chop the windrowed straw with a pull-type forage harvester and blow the chop back onto the field. Since the straw is dry (mostly) and light (mostly) it spreads out pretty good.
Every couple of years, I run conservation sweeps down the row middles to incorporate the chaffy stuff, and this year I plan to inject N behind the sweeps.
There are a lot of critters in my soils that break down the straw pretty quick, so by next harvest, I have only a thin layer still covering the soil. This used to be a cotton field, and it had always tested low in organic matter, which is what happens to cotton farms. Since I put it in grass, the OM % has risen, but after reaching a certain point, it leveled off and has been constant since.
My soil tests show a constant requirement for N. Constant meaning it doesn't vary by much, but it always needs some, whether I leave the straw or remove it.
I guess, in my case, the main benefits I gain from retaining the straw are conservative more than nutritional, although I welcome any benefit whatsoever that I gain from the straw. | |
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Residue management in perennial crops questions.
