MANURING WITH STRAW.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 44, 1 December 1938, Page 8

MANURING WITH STRAW.

UNROTTED MATERIAL. In rotting down straw in heaps, the best results are got when there' is sufficient moisture present, . a supply of available nitrogen, presence of air, and a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. In the soil probably similar changes take place in the rotting straw as in the heap, but they happen more slowly.

These were-among the conclusions reached at an informal discussion at Rothamsted on straw as a soil improver and reported in the current issue of the Ministry’s Journal.

Experiments show that unrotted straw used alone depresses the yield of the following crop. When, however, artificials, particularly nitrogenous sorts, are used with the straw, the results are ns good as from farmyard manure. At Woburn, on light soils, while results from straw used alone were bad, with green manures in addition the results promise well. If a hare fallow is to be taken, straw

may be ploughed in without fear of depressing crop yields, as the straw will have disappeared before the next crop is put in. For glasshouses, however, where continuous cropping under intensive conditions is carried out, large amounts of dung and artificials are applied with abundant watering. This often leads to a sick soil, condition, and an application of straw improves aeration, drainage and root action.

Where wheat stubbles are suspected of being affected with “take-all” disease tin' stubble should be ploughed under as soon as possible after ljarvest. This helps to accelerate the destruction of the fungus which is present in the bases of the stems and in the roots of the wheat. It is suggested that the ploughing in of additional straw will favour the rapid disappearance of the fungus, provided nitrogen is withheld until the spring.