Manage corn straw well
Corn cut for grain has the characteristic that after its harvest there is a lot of crop residue to be managed. And these are a valuable source of both nutrients and biological matter. Both factors are very important, which is why the issue of their proper management after harvest becomes quite important.
There are many opinions among farmers about which tool is better for properly managing crop residues. The discussion usually revolves around whether a mulcher or a disc harrow is better. Both sides have their arguments.
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How Fine to Chop Corn Straw? How Much Residue Is Left in the Field?
A plate mixer will mix very well, but it will not cut the straw like a mulcher.
A disc harrow will generally be a more universal tool. A disc harrow will do its job well if it is heavy enough, and in addition, in the case of corn crop residues, it should be sunk deep into the ground so that it tears up the roots and at the same time mixes the residues with the right amount of soil. If we use a heavy disc harrow, additionally working at the right depth, the effect can be more than satisfactory. However, the cutting of crop residues itself will not be as good as in the case of a mulcher.
With a large straw yield (which is directly related to corn yield), a mulcher will sometimes be not so much necessary as very useful. Although we can mix a large amount of crop residue very well with an appropriate disc harrow, we are no longer able to cut it as precisely and evenly. Yes, the residue will be shredded, but these will be substantially larger sections than in the case of a mulcher. An undoubted advantage of the latter machine is also that it can shred the remaining stalks very thoroughly. These are of course the habitat of the corn borer, which overwinters in the lower parts of the stalk. With good shredding, the conditions for its overwinter are much more difficult. Good cutting therefore eliminates the habitat of this pest.
We cannot achieve such precise cutting of the stems when using a disc harrow. Moreover, after its passage, some of the stems remain intact anyway.
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Disc harrow or mulcher? They perform tasks independently of each other
Generally, regardless of whether we are talking about a mulcher or a disc harrow – both implements perform their tasks somewhat independently, i.e. in both cases the goal is the same, but the effect is slightly different. There are also farms that use both a disc harrow and a mulcher. First, the mulcher cuts the straw thoroughly, leaving almost ground residues, and only then the disc harrow mixes these residues with the soil.
The disc harrow, due to its greater versatility, is more often harnessed to shred corn. However, lighter disc harrows will not necessarily cope with this task. The disc harrow itself is able to shred the remains very well, but also mix them. However, in the case of a good mulcher, straw and stalks can be cut into even smaller pieces. In both cases, it must be emphasized that we are talking about appropriate machines. Unfortunately, on the used machinery market we will also find offers for resale of mulchers, which require a complete overhaul before they can start working, because after their passage the remains remain almost intact. We will not cope with corn straw using a light disc harrow either, and the effect of such work will be "acceptable" at best.
Both heavy disc harrow and mulcher are irreplaceable tools for cultivation after grain corn. Not only do they facilitate subsequent work (usually ploughing), but above all their use allows for the mineralization of crop residues, which without proper cutting would create a mat in the soil, a layer of earth that would be characterized by low permeability, but would also block the development of the root system of the subsequent crop.
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