1. Is Residue Management an Important Factor in the Soil Health of Perennial Grass Seed Production Systems?

Residue management in agricultural systems is a crucial pathway of nutrient and organic matter flow and is predicted to affect soil health indices. In Western Oregon, perennial grasses for seed are a major crop, occupying roughly 150,000 ha in the Willamette Valley. Current estimates are that 80-85% of producers remove straw residue, exporting more than 650,000 US tons of straw annually. The primary objectives of this study were: i) evaluate soil health outcomes under residue retention and removal... B. Verhoeven, A. Moore, D. Sullivan, M. Gonzalez-mateu