Crop Residue Management

In less affluent countries such as those in South and Southeast Asia, grain is directly used for human consumption, and crop residues are the main source of fodder for animals. In addition, crop residues have several other uses (Table 1). Crop residues are certainly an asset in these countries and seldom are left in the field. In advanced countries (Europe and America), draft animals have been replaced by internal combustion engines for farm power, and farmyard manure has been replaced by chemical fertilizer as a major source of nutrients. The development of synthetic fiber and a variety of inexpensive synthetic materials has replaced cereal straw for basketing, packaging, millinery, mat making, and similar uses (Staniforth, 1979). Consequently, with widespread use of combine harvesters, crop residues largely remain in the field and must be managed to provide the greatest advantage possible, especially for water conservation, erosion control, and maintenance of soil organic matter. In 1985, 918.58 million tons of cereal grain was produced in the developed world (Table 2), indicating that cereal residue production probably exceeded 1000 million tons per annum.