Residue measurement techniques

CONSERVATION tillage practices are becoming established in North American agriculture. Most procedures include the use of old crop residues on the soil surface to protect soil from wind and water erosion. Crop residues were originally quantified in terms of dry weight per unit area until conservationists learned that percentage of soil covered by residues correlated better with erosion control than dry weight ( 4 ). Additional emphasis on quantifying percentage cover has been generated by the Food Security Act of 1985 and Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 ( 17, 18 ) and the accompanying conservation compliance program. Residue management, either for program compliance, farm management, or research, will require appropriate residue measurement techniques. Review of measurement techniques Various residue measurements are currently in use. Some techniques are appropriate for general field surveys and others for detailed studies. Visual intercept field technique . Intercept techniques may be grouped into lineintercept and point …