ARS | Publication request: THERMAL ENVIRONMENT OF SEASONALLY FROZEN SOIL AFFECTED BY CROP AND SOIL MANAGEMENT

Submitted to: Encyclopedia of Soil Science
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: November 15, 2000
Publication Date: September 1, 2002
Citation: Sharratt, B.S. 2002. Thermal environment of seasonally frozen soil affected by crop and soil management. In: Encyclopedia of Soil Science. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker. p. 1321-1323.

Technical Abstract: Crop and soil management affects the soil thermal regime during winter and spring. Therefore, proper management is required to optimize the seed zone environment in the spring. Crop residues removed by burning, raking, or cultivating from the seed row can bolster daily soil temperatures by 2 deg C in cold regions. Daytime temperatures may be increased by as much as 15 deg C, but nighttime temperatures can be as much as 5 deg C lower where crop residue is removed from the soil surface. Discovery of new residue management techniques that enhance soil warming during winter and spring is essential to the viability of agriculture in cold regions.