A Study on Crop Residue Management to Maximize Nitrogen Recycling and Operating Efficiency

Four operational methods were examined for a better managing of crop residue to maximize nutrient recycling and operating efficiency; leaving it on the field (LV), carrying it out of the field (CO), gathering it and burying it in ditches (GB), and pulverizing and spreading it on the field (PS). The PS method was the quickest for managing tomato plant residue, where the use of a flail mower was very efficient. There was quite a large quantity of tomato plant residue, containing 300kg N ha-1, which is sufficient to grow various kinds of crops. Furthermore, there was sufficient nitrogen for even shortterm crops like chingen-tsai. The growth and yield of two succeeding crops, chingen-tsai and to-tsai, were best by PS, while those by LV and GB were superior to the control, CO. Soil pH and nitrogen availability in the soil were high in the three plots incorporating the residue.Results show that recycling crop residue into the field significantly affects soil chemical properties and growth of succeeding vegetable crops.