Potential Environmental Effects of Corn Stover Removal With Emphasis on
Soil Organic Matter and Erosion,  

Recent concerns about CO2 emissions and global warming have prompted
renewed interest in using corn stover for energy production. Lack of
markets, concerns about sustained soil productivity, and lack of
commercial conversion technologies have precluded the widespread harvest
of corn residues for this purpose. This paper reviews existing
literature to evaluate the major environmental impacts potentially
associated with stover harvest from reduced tillage corn production
sites. Issues of greatest concern are erosion and soil organic carbon
(SOC) dynamics, the latter both for its role in soil quality and yield
and for global carbon cycle implications. About half of the literature
examined concerned research in the United States, many publications
described research activities conducted for decades, and major soil
types in corn producing regions were well represented. Regional
differences were primarily temperature and rainfall effects on stand
establishment and yield, with potential feedback effects on SOC. Several
research papers discussing the effects of residue harvest were found,
but few field studies were found that explicitly studied the effects of
corn stover harvest and most discussions acknowledge potential tradeoffs
among beneficial and adverse effects. It was concluded that more
information is needed on several topics to determine potential long-term
effects of residue harvest, including (1) erosion and water quality,
especially pesticides and nitrate, (2) rates of transformation of
different forms of SOC, (3) effects on soil biota, and (4) SOC dynamics
in the subsoil.

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