Reducing the amount of straw residue in a field to an operable level, but maintaining adequate cover for erosion protection is a key objective of a conservation farming system. In reduced tillage systems it is preferable to have straw residue uniformly distributed, broken into small fragments and mulched into the soil surface. In no-till systems straw distribution is equally important, but must be achieved solely by straw spreading while combining. The amount of straw produced is a factor in choosing and designing tillage and residue handling techniques.
Producers commonly observe considerable seasonal variation in straw production.
Some years straw production is very heavy while others it is not. The amount of straw produced by a cereal crop is dependent on several factors. These include timing and amount of precipitation, temperature, stored soil water, soil fertility, soil depth, grain variety and pest problems. These plots are in a winter wheat-pea rotation and are being studied to understand relationships among weeds, insects, root diseases, tillage and and crop residue. Whole plant samples were cut, bushelndled, weighed, threshed and the grain weighed.