Sunita Yadav1*, Pushpendra Koli2 and Usha Mina3 and Saroj Devi4
1, 3Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi -110012
2Division of Plant Animal Relationship, ICAR-IGFRI, Jhansi, U.P.-284003 4Department of Fabric and Apparel Sciences, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi
Introduction Crop residue term is used for the biomass produced as by-products from harvesting and processing of agricultural crops. Harvesting and processing of agricultural crops remaining part refer to crop residue. Traditionally crop residues were used as animal feed, fodder, fuel, roof thatching, packaging and composting. But nowadays the major difficulties come to farmers in dispose and removal this crop residue from existing field because of discontinuing of its traditional uses. That’s why burning of crop residues increases day by day.
Types of Crop Residue 1. Primary or field residues: It includes biomass left in an agricultural field or orchard after the crop
has been harvested. These residues include stalks and stubble (stems), leaves, roots and seed pods 2. Secondary or process residues: These are produced after the crop is processed into a usable
resource. These residues include husks, seeds, bagasse, maize cob, coconut shell, coconut husk, coir dust, saw dust, palm oil shell, fibre and empty bunches, wastewater, black liquor.
Quantity of Residue Generated in India India is an agrarian economy and generates around 600 Mt of crop residues, from which 70% accounts for cereals, 13% of fibres, 6% of oilseeds, 3% of pulses, 2% of sugarcane and 6% of others (Jain et al., 2014). About 90-140 Mt of crop residues is surplus and likely to be burned in the field or in households as fuels. Among them cereals account for 58%, fibres 23%, oilseeds 7%, pulses 2%, sugarcane 2% and 7% of other residues (Jain et al., 2014). In November 2016, the Capital literally came to a standstill because of the smog created by the burning of crop residue in neighbouring Haryana and Punjab. This practice has also become popular in other parts of the country. And today, the particulate matter emitted from crop burning across India in a year is more than 17 times the total annual particulate pollution in Delhi from all sources such as vehicles, garbage burning and industries. In Punjab total cereal crop residue generated is 45.58 million tonnes/year and residue burned (based on IARI coefficients) 21.32 million tonnes/year and in Haryana total cereal crop residue generated is 24.73 million tonnes/year and residue burned (based on IARI coefficients) 9.18 million tonnes/year.
Smoke from burning crop residues affects people's health, road safety and the environment etc. Therefore, today’s need to aware and educate farmers about ill-effects of crop burning with developing a real time monitoring mechanism of the burning of agricultural residues.
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Farmer’s Traditional Practices The utilization of crop residues varies across different states of the country. Traditionally crop residues have numerous competing uses such as animal feed, fodder, fuel, roof thatching, packaging and composting. The residues of cereal crops are mainly used as cattle feused as domestic fuel or in boilers for parboiling unused or burnt on-farm.
Why Farmers Do Crop Residue BurningFarmers are frequently doing this practice due to the following • Crops harvesting by combine harvester machine leaves behind• Due to very less time gap between
and labour cost on uprooting the crop residue.• Slow decomposition of crop resi
the microbial population in soil • Require higher tillage operations
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Yadav et al.,
Traditional Practices for Crop Residue Management of crop residues varies across different states of the country. Traditionally crop
residues have numerous competing uses such as animal feed, fodder, fuel, roof thatching, packaging and composting. The residues of cereal crops are mainly used as cattle feed. Rice straw and husk are used as domestic fuel or in boilers for parboiling rice. The remaining (surplus residues) are left
Farmers Do Crop Residue Burning? Farmers are frequently doing this practice due to the following reasons:
arvesting by combine harvester machine leaves behind 6-10 cm of stubble otime gap between harvesting and sowing of two consecutive crops and to
uprooting the crop residue. residues after burning, because of higher temperature of fire decrease
in soil which decompose the crop biomass. Require higher tillage operations
Harvesting of crop by Combine
Burning of crop residue
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2017, Pop. Kheti, 5(2): 105-109 Popular Article
of crop residues varies across different states of the country. Traditionally crop residues have numerous competing uses such as animal feed, fodder, fuel, roof thatching, packaging
ed. Rice straw and husk are remaining (surplus residues) are left
10 cm of stubble on the fields. harvesting and sowing of two consecutive crops and to save time
after burning, because of higher temperature of fire decrease
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Why is Crop Residue Burning a Cause of Concern? Burning of crop residue is a cause of concern because it leads to (Mittal et al., 2009) � Air pollution- Air pollutants released due to crop residue burning – CH4, N2O, CO2, Toxic
gases(NH3, NOx, SOx,VOCs (Volatile organic compounds) etc), Small particles, CO, NO, Aerosols, Particulates /soot/elemental C/black carbon, Smoke
� Greenhouse gas emission � Adverse health impacts (Asthma, and other respiratory illnesses) � Nutrients loss: Almost complete loss of C and N, 25% P, 20% K and 50% S and altered nutrient
cycling � Increase in soil erosion and runoff � Adverse impacts on soil quality � Depletion of the soil organic carbon pool and energy rich residues.
What are the Possible Solutions to Stop Crop Residue Burning?
Crop residue burning can be stopped if the residue will be used for: • Feed and bedding: Crop residues are fed to domestic animals in forms ranging from traditional
stubble-grazing of harvested grain fields to preparation of chopped residue mixes that are made more palatable and nutritious by the addition of nitrogen-rich compounds. Because of their excellent water-absorption capacity, cereal straws remain preferred materials for animal bedding. Recycling of this nitrogen-rich mixture of wastes, often after composting, remains a key ingredient of beneficial co-utilization of organic wastes.
Fig. Chopper cum loader for rice and wheat straw Fig. Straw chopper cum spreader for rice and wheat straw
Fig. Crop Residues as animal feed Fig. Bel formation and compaction of crop residues
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• Electricity generation: For briquetting, gasification and power generation, power plant running on producer gas consumes biomass (crop residues) of 1.2-1.5 kg/kW, so crop residues will be the better option for power generation.
• Household fuel: Crop residues can be used as a fuel, The bulkiness and relatively low energy content of crop residues make them inferior to wood—but they are still an important source of energy in densely populated and arid regions.
• Mushroom cultivation: Wheat and rice straws are excellent substrates for the cultivation of Agaricus bisporus (white button mushroom) and Volvariella volvacea(straw mushroom).
• Composting: residue can be used for compost making. • Packaging, mat making, particle board, straw board, paper making • Recycling in soil or used for soil amendment • Building materials. Making bricks and walls from straw-clay mixtures is an ancient technique that
is still used in the house and shed construction. • biofuels • Legislation/regulation and penalty to prevent or control burning • Feasible/economic alternate use of crop residue
What Measures Can Be Taken To Prevent Crop Residue Burning? To stop crop residue burning, various state and central administrations and regulatory bodies used following methodology: 1.Legal ban and penalty on crop residue burning as an offence under the Air Act of 1981, the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and various appropriate Acts. 2.Technology use for monitoring and prevention: Use of remote sensing technology for real time
detection and prevention of crop residue burning 3.Establishment of a marketplace for crop residue: Markets such as crop residue -based power
plants, utilisation for generation of bio-fuels, organic fertilizers and in paper and cardboard making industries were established in different zones for realizing the farmers that adopting a residue burning practices are their economic loss.
4. Campaigns on adverse effects of crop residue burning for public awareness: Awareness programmes were organized for adverse health, environmental and economic effects of crop residue burning.
5.Subsidy on agri-implements: The state governments, in collaboration with the Centre, has rolled out schemes for providing subsidy on implements that help tillage of the soil, so that the crop residue can be retained in the soil, adding to its fertility, or alternately, a collection of crop residue for putting it to commercial usage.
6.Crop diversification: For effective control on crop residue alternate crops (apart from rice/paddy and wheat) that produce less crop residue and have greater gap periods between cropping cycles were promoted under crop diversification.
Existing Roadblocks in the Implementation of the Solution Technical • Variability in the supply of crop residue for utilization in power/energy generation • Inefficiencies of the conversion processes • Non-availability of storage space • High water content in crop residue • Conflicting decisions with respect to technologies, locations, and routes Financial • Lack of required transport infrastructure
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• Limited flexibility or inflexibility to energy demand • Risks associated with new technologies (insurability, performance, rate of return) Social • Lack of participatory decision making • Lack of public/community awareness • Extra pressure on transport sector • Decreasing the esthetics of rural areas Policy and regulatory • Impact of fossil fuel tax on biomass transport • Focus on technology options and less attention to selection of biomass materials • Lack of support for sustainable supply chain solutions Institutional and organizational • Varied ownership arrangements and priorities among supply chain parties. • Lack of supply chain standards. • Immaturity of change management practices in biomass supply chains.
Conclusion Crop residue burning is a hot topic at present time, especially during a time of wheat and rice harvesting. There is no doubt that smoke from burning crop residues affects people’s health, road safety and the environment. In addition to this soil physical, chemical and biological properties also get destroyed in one or another way. Therefore, today needs to aware and educate farmers about ill-effects of crop burning and proper monitoring and regulations should be enforced through government policies. It is the farmer’s responsibility to ensure that burning is conducted legally and safely and that the smoke does not cause problems that type of knowledge and awareness is required.
References Badarinath KVS, Kharol SK and Sharma AR. 2009. Long-range transport of aerosols from
agriculture crop residue burning in Indo-Gangetic Plains—A study using LIDAR, ground measurements and satellite data, J. Atmos. Sol. Terr. Phys., 71, 112−120.
Gadde B, Bonnet S, Menke C and Garivait S. 2009. Air pollutant emissions from rice straw open field burning in India, Thailand and the Philippines, Environ. Pollut., 157, 1554−1558.
Mittal SK, Susheel K, Singh N, Agarwal R, Awasthi A and Gupta PK. 2009. Ambient Air Quality during Wheat and Rice Crop Stubble Burning Episodes in Patiala. Atmos. Environ. 43: 238–244.
Mittal SK, Susheel K, Singh N, Agarwal R, Awasthi A and Gupta PK. 2009. Ambient Air Quality during Wheat and Rice Crop Stubble Burning Episodes in Patiala. Atmos. Environ. 43: 238–244.
Jain Niveta, Bhatia Arti, Pathak Himanshu 2014. Emission of Air Pollutants from Crop Residue Burning in India. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 14: 422–430.
Pathak H, Singh R, Bhatia A and Jain N. 2006. Recycling of Rice Straw to Improve Wheat Yield and Soil Fertility and Reduce Atmospheric Pollution. Paddy Water Environ. 4: 111–117.
