The Influence of Nitrogen Fertilizer and Wheat-Straw Management on Double-Cropped Soybean Germination and Development

Many eastern Arkansas producers who typically grow soybean (Glycine max L.) in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-soybean double-crop system choose to burn wheat residue immediately after harvest as a means of seedbed preparation. Burning residue adds a considerable amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere and prevents the return of much needed carbon (C) to the soil. Alternative wheat-residue management practices have the potential to be as, if not more, environmentally sound, economical, time-efficient, and productive as the traditional practice of burning wheat residue prior to growing a soybean crop. Alternative wheatresidue management practices may also improve the quality of the soil resource in the delta region of eastern Arkansas.