Soil health is an essential component of the long-term sustainability of a farming operation. Over the course of the last few decades, greater emphasis has been placed on soil conservation with a focus on the utilization of crop residue to protect against wind and water erosion. In terms of moisture preservation, standing crop residue has been shown to increase soil moisture levels by trapping snow and crop residue spread over the soil protects against moisture loss from wind and sunlight. This is especially important in areas with lighter soils and lower average rainfall where every bit of moisture is crucial to crop success.
While the benefits of crop residue to soil health are numerous, management of residue is very important in minimizing any drawbacks that may occur. Greater amounts of soil residue may impede soil warmup which affects how quickly a crop is able to germinate and emerge. Uneven crop residue levels across a field directly impact the evenness of germination and growth which can result in greater inter-plant competition in early growth stages as well as reduced performance of fungicide and pre-harvest herbicide application.
It is therefore important for growers to determine the balance between enough residue to facilitate soil conservation while limiting residue impact on crop performance. The level of management required may change as residue levels fluctuate from year to year. During seeding and planting, proper residue flow is required to ensure that residue does not impact seed to soil contact or affect crop performance. Proper opener and row cleaner selection is an important part of this process to ensure that the seed is given the best start possible and maximize growth potential throughout the growing season.