Crop stubble burning

[infiniteConciously]

BBC posted an article Wednesday on Delhi Air Quality, noting Indian farmers and crop burning. And obv resulting pollution.

Air quality: Delhi records worst November air in years

Residents of the Indian capital didn't breathe "good" air even for one day in November, official data says.

www.bbc.co.uk

Think BBC got their views from this nasa article. The data they uses comes from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Props to the team(s) doing this work!

A Shot of Smoke for Delhi

Smoke from crop fires in northern India blanketed the populous city and contributed to soaring levels of air pollution.

earthobservatory.nasa.gov

I'm just posting to gain some views from various people with advanced soil knowledge. I think we all know what the general consensus amongst us about this practise would be!!! Other than speed/cost benefits for the human - could there be any environmental benefits to the soil???

In my experience; It is a growing trend that farmers have adopted over the last 10 years. I previously never witnessed any stubble burning prior to 2000-2005/but that said... I wasn't out in India every post harvest, so I can't really comment with accuracy. I think more needs to be done with education on this practise,....

Anyway, can I get some views please?

Pros & Cons pulled from vic agriculture.
Advantages; cheap, fast, weed control, insect control(?), disease control, reduced nitrogen tie-up
Disadvantages; loss of nutrients/carbon, impact on soil microbes ad fauna, soil structure changes, increase in erosion (wind and water), can increase acidity over time.

Stubble burning

agriculture.vic.gov.au

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Connecting Crop Productivity, Residue Fires, and Air Quality over Northern India

 

[yellow belly]

Cant beat a good stubble burn

The earliest cases of black grass resistance were on farms that regularly burnt straw

it takes several decades to reduce the organic matter levels then increasing amounts of fertiliser are needed to maintain cropping

 

[steveR]

Many posters on here done stubble burning ?

Nothing compared to a few big grain growers nearby...

Used to try and burn before stubble turnips to clean the base, then min till the seed in. Once or twice, I broadcast the seed onto the burnt stubble in a wet time. Good on the odd dirty stubble where herbicides had not been 100% and the weedseeds had come over the back with a bit of extra wind

Had a spreader on the combine (pre choppers!) which was great in getting an even burn, as opposed to burning swathes. Usually, there was a ready market for straw over here near Wales.

 

[Muddyroads]

Many posters on here done stubble burning ?

Did quite a bit in the mid eighties on an estate in Herefordshire pre college. Had a Ford 4000 with a cultivator on the back. Went a few times round the headlands and any infield trees and poles to create fire breaks. Had a chain on the cultivator with a truck tyre on the end. Inside this was an inner tube, straw and a nice splash of diesel. Once it was well alight I’d drive around the field lighting the stubble, hoping the wind didn’t change!
Burning rape straw was more difficult, lighting every row by forking burning material by hand, often every 4 or 5 metres as it wouldn’t run.
No air con on the 4000 so used to be filthy by the end of each day.