Using straw in steep furrows to reduce soil erosion and increase dry bean yields

Furrow-irrigated fields often have different slopes along a furrow, which tend to cause different water intakes and erosion rates. Irrigated furrows on the steeper slopes develop narrow channels that reduce the wetted perimeter in the furrow. This results in lower infiltration, and crops growing on the steep acres do not receive adequate water for the highest crop yield. Plants growing adjacent to straw-treated furrows received 1.3 to 2.1 times as much irrigation water as plants growing next to untreated furrows. Dry bean yield increases on the straw-treated furrows, compared to the untreated furrows, ranged from 614 kg/ha to 1,306 kg/ha—a 21 % to 62 % increase, respectively. Also, sediment yield reductions in the straw-treated furrows ranged from 69 % to 90 % compared to untreated furrows.