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Wheat Straw Decomposition in the Field¹

ABSTRACT

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties ‘Nugaines’ and ‘Lemhi’ were grown on Portneuf silt loam soil with three nitrogen and three irrigation treatments in 1967. After harvest, 84 kg N/ha was applied to half of each plot before plowing. Uniform straw samples were enclosed in fiberglass cloth bags and buried in the plots September 7. The straw placed in N-treated plots received sufficient N in solution to increase the straw N from about 0.29 to 1.5%. Straw samples were recovered November 15, after the soil had cooled below 4C, and at three later sampling dates to October 3, 1968, after a bean crop (Phaseolus spp.) was harvested. Weight loss and total N were determined on all samplings and total C on the first sampling. Decomposition was greater with N than without it for the November sampling and the March sampling for Nugaines but not at other samplings for both varieties. The weight of N in both N-treated straw varieties decreased 55% by November 15, while in the non-N-treated Nugaines and Lemhi straw, N weight increased 12 and 32%, respectively, by March 22. Later, N moved out of all the straw samples when the N percentages were much lower than the theoretical equilibrium value.

¹ Contribution from the Northwest Branch, Soil and Water Conserv. Res. Div., ARS, USDA; Idaho Agr. Exp. Sta., cooperating. Presented at the American Society of Agronomy Meetings, Detroit, Mich. Nov. 13, 1969.

² Research Soil Scientist and Soil Scientist, respectively, Snake River Conserv. Res. Ctr., Kimberly, Idaho 83341.

Received for publication July 7, 1970. Accepted for publication December 2, 1970.