Transforming Crop Residue with Biologicals: Planting Challenge Turned Nutritional Opportunity
Following a successful harvest, fields are far from empty. Every season leaves plant residue in the fields, which can either present a challenge to planting next spring, or present a major opportunity to build soil health and improve crop performance. The key difference? How growers approach residue management following harvest.
Residue Management Matters Now More than Ever
Today’s high-yielding corn and soybean practices produce more grain, while also producing more biomass as a result. While that residue helps to support soil moisture and erosion control, an excess of residue can have significant negative effects in growing operations. The side effects of this excess buildup include poor seed-to-soil contact, skips in planting, pest and disease carryover, and locked away potential nutrition. These conditions can create a rough start in early growing stages, compounding in poorer plant health and lower yields as the season progresses. Biological residue management solutions help to manage excessive residue, while preserving soil structure and even boosting soil and plant health.
The Biological Breakdown
Biological residue management products are designed to accelerate the decomposition of residue through the use of natural microbes and fungi, chosen for their abilities to break down tough plant matter including lignin and cellulose.
For example, Streamline Ag’s NGest Dry products contain a consortium of microbes belonging to the Bacillus family, selected for their efficacy in speeding up the natural decay process in the field.
Benefits of Biological Residue Management
There are several key benefits to using biological residue management in post-harvest and pre-planting, including:
Faster Residue Decomposition – By speeding up breakdown of leftover stalks and stems, seed bed conditions are improved.
Improved Nutrient Availability – Tied up nutrients in residue, including valuable macronutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, re-enter the soil in plant-available forms.
Improved Planter Performance – Limit skips and hairpinning, while promoting more even seed planting depth.
Lower Disease Pressure – Breaking down excess residue left in fields can decrease pressure of diseases such as SDS, White Mold and Tar Spot.
Support Overall Soil Health – By managing residue in a way that preserves soil structure, long-term microbial diversity and activity is improved and maintained in the soil system.
How to Implement Biological Residue Management
Correct application timing and methods are an important part of achieving effective residue management with biological products:
Timing – Apply in fall post-harvest to take advantage of biological decay over fall and winter. Apply in spring with early pre-emergence herbicides to terminate and manage residue from cover-crops and prepare the seed bed for planting.
Application Methods – It’s important to follow label instructions for the biological products you are using to ensure products are applied at the correct rate to be effective.
Biological Residue Management: The Smart Way to Manage Residue
Biological residue management transforms residue from a liability to an asset. Better planting conditions and improved soil health start the season right with improved emergence. When used in tandem with other beneficial biologicals, biological residue management can even further strengthen plants as they germinate and emerge.
Interested in working biological residue management into your operations this season? Reach out to a Streamline Ag dealer in your area to learn more about the proven benefits of Streamline Ag’s NGest Dry.
