Crop residue management

1. Dr. R. T. Patil
Central Institute of Agricultural
Engineering, Bhopal
Managing Crop Residues in
Conservation Agriculture- Engineering
Issues

2. Major Crop Residues

3. Seasonal Availability of Crop
Residues

4. Machines for Surface Managed Crop
Residue
• The zero-till drills mounted with rigid tines and
inverted-T openers work satisfactory under anchored
stubbles but clog frequently under loose straw
conditions.
•ZT-drills for loose straw conditions may be equipped
with double disc openers, triple disc openers either
with powered or unpowered plain disc coulters.
•Surface seeding of wheat, mustard and lentil in
combine harvested rice fields followed by chopping
of loose straw and stubbles by rotary mower and
then irrigating the field irequires least time, energy,
and cost for crop establishment.

5. Mechanisation of Rapid Methods of
Composting of Residues for Manure
Accelerated aerobic decomposition in windrows
by
•Chopping of raw materials; Use of mineral
compounds like ammonium sulphate,
•Chicken manure, urine;
•and Use of effective microorganisms as
activator for expediting the decomposition
process
•Turning of the material on daily basis.
•Rapid Composting’ methods takes an active
composting period of two to three weeks only.

6. Straw Combines •The capacity of machine
on an average is 0.4 ha/h
while operating at a speed
of 2.5km/h and straw
recovery is about 55-60%.
•There are more than 50
manufacturers for straw
reaper and more than 5000
machines are in use
•Machine mounted with
rectangular container to
collect the chopped straw
capacity is 730 kg/h against
600 kg/h in conventional
system.

7. Energy from Crop Residues
1.Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass,
2.Biomethanation and

8. Energy from Crop Residues
Briquetting, gasification and power
generation power plant running on producer
gas consumes biomass of 1.2-1.5 kg/kW

9. Conclusions
•Twin cutterbar type combine harvester for harvesting of
top portion of crop for grain recovery and a lower
cutterbar for straw harvesting at a suitable height and
windrowing should be developed for proper
management of straw.
•Mechanization of rapid methods composting the crop
residue in the field itself be evaluated and finalized for
Indian conditions.
•Technologies available for energy generation from
biomass should be promoted.
•The rotary powered disc residue drill for planting under
loose surface straw condition should be modified to
serve as a multiple machine, by incorporating active and
passive soil cutting elements as single pass tillage and
also for formation of permanent beds.