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Colby, Kansas | The wicking by residue is one of those old tales that somehow continues to live. Conversely, it's a challenging claim to evaluate.
Probably the best work relative to the plains was done on this topic in the early 1980s, the researchers at USDA-ARS in Akron, Colorado did a study in wheat stubble looking at various heights and positions of the stubble, i.e. different proportions of flat/standing etc. As part of that work, they also had a trial where they had soil with wheat stubble, they wet the soil up to field capacity, then covered the soil surface with wax to seal it off, so that they could isolate if any moisture was lost through the stubble acting as a wick. They did not measure any moisture loss, i.e. standing wheat stubble does not act as a wick.
Lucas
Edited by LHaag 9/19/2020 14:23
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How Tillage and Crop Residue Affect Irrigation Requirements
