The Effect of Stubble Burning and Residue Management on Soil Properties: A Review
Pratistha Pradhan, Abhas Kumar Sinha, Tapas Kumar Pandit
International Journal of Plant & Soil Science · pp. 36–49 · Published 20 Apr 2024
10.9734/ijpss/2024/v36i64604Abstract
Stubble burning, a common agricultural practice, has gained significant attention due to its adverse effects on soil properties and environmental sustainability. The in-situ burning of stubble, especially in the context of the rice-wheat cropping system, can significantly alter the physical and chemical properties of soil, particularly in the topsoil layer. The factors contributing to crop residue burning in India include time constraints between successive crops which necessitates the need to clear fields quickly and limited access to mechanized equipment for residue management. As a result, many farmers resort to burning crop residues as a quick and cost-effective method to clear fields for the next planting season. In situ stubble management techniques offer sustainable alternatives to address these issues and promote soil health as this once-dismissed residue transforms into a strategic tool for nurturing soil vitality. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of stubble burning on various soil properties, especially in the context of burning of rice residues. It synthesizes existing literature and research findings to elucidate the interactions between stubble burning and soil health and evaluates mainly the long-term consequences of stubble burning on soil fertility and productivity. Based on the findings, crop residue burning disrupts soil ecosystems, impairs nutrient cycling, decreases soil fertility and compromises ecosystem resilience, leading to long-term soil degradation while the short-term effects remain less understood across different contexts.
References (65)
- 1 The capacity of soils to preserve organic C and N by their association with clay and silt particles [DOI]
- 2 Productivity and management of rice–wheat cropping systems: issues and challenges [DOI]
- 3 Crop Residues and Management Practices: Effects on Soil Quality, Soil Nitrogen Dynamics, Crop Yield, and Nitrogen Recovery [DOI]
- 4 Emission of Air Pollutants from Crop Residue Burning in India [DOI]
- 5 Emissions of air pollutants from primary crop residue burning in India and their mitigation strategies for cleaner emissions [DOI]
- 6 Rice residue- management options and effects on soil properties and crop productivity
- 7 Soil carbon fractions and relationship to soil quality under different tillage and stubble management [DOI]
- 8 Chapter 3 Crop Residue Management for Lowland Rice-Based Cropping Systems in Asia [DOI]
- 9 Alternative tillage and crop residue management in wheat after rice in sandy loam soils of Indo-Gangetic plains [DOI]
- 10 Prediction of the impact on air quality of the cities receiving cruise tourism: the case of the Port of Barcelona [DOI]
- 11 Effects of three soil tillage systems on some biological activities in an Ultisol from southern Chile [DOI]
- 12 Conservation agriculture effects on soil organic carbon accumulation and crop productivity under a rice–wheat cropping system in the western Indo-Gangetic Plains [DOI]
- 13 Crop residue management options in rice–rice system: a review [DOI]
- 14 Effects of tillage and straw return on water-stable aggregates, carbon stabilization and crop yield in an estuarine alluvial soil [DOI]
- 15 Yield and Phosphorus Transformations in a Rice–Wheat System with Crop Residue and Phosphorus Management [DOI]
- 16 Energy and carbon footprints of wheat establishment following different rice residue management strategies vis-à-vis conventional tillage coupled with rice residue burning in north-western India [DOI]
- 17 Stubble burn area estimation and its impact on ambient air quality of Patiala & Ludhiana district, Punjab, India [DOI]
- 18 Estimating loss of ecosystem services due to paddy straw burning in North-west India [DOI]
- 19 Crop residue management in rice–wheat cropping system for resource conservation and environmental protection in north-western India [DOI]
- 20 The Effects of Tillage and Straw Incorporation on Soil Organic Carbon Status, Rice Crop Productivity, and Sustainability in the Rice-Wheat Cropping System of Eastern China [DOI]
- 21 Generation and Impact of Crop Residue and its Management [DOI]
- 22 Chemical stabilization of soil organic nitrogen by phenolic lignin residues in anaerobic agroecosystems [DOI]
- 23 Tillage, residue burning and crop rotation alter soil fungal community and water-stable aggregation in arable fields [DOI]
- 24 Effect of crop residue management in a rice–wheat cropping system on growth and yield of crops and on soil fertility [DOI]
- 25 Nitrogen and residue management effects on agronomic productivity and nitrogen use efficiency in rice–wheat system in Indian Punjab [DOI]
- 26 Respiratory Symptoms in a Susceptible Population Due to Burning of Agricultural Residue [DOI]
- 27 Soil organic phosphorus and microbial community composition as affected by 26 years of different management strategies [DOI]
- 28 Soil physical and hydraulic properties in a rice‐wheat cropping system in India: effects of rice‐straw management [DOI]
- 29 Rice–wheat productivity and profitability with residue, tillage and green manure management [DOI]
- 30 Crop establishment with conservation tillage and crop residue retention in rice-based cropping systems of Eastern India: yield advantage and economic benefit [DOI]
- 31 Burning crop residues under no-till in semi-arid land, Northern Spain—effects on soil organic matter, aggregation, and earthworm populations [DOI]
- 32 Release of sulfur from rice residues under flooded and non-flooded soil conditions [DOI]
- 33 Small grains stubble burning and tillage effects on soil organic C and N, and aggregation in northeastern Saskatchewan [DOI]
- 34 Effect of Burning Rice and Wheat Crop Residues: Loss of N, P, K and S from Soil and Changes in the Nutrient Availability
- 35 Impact of Crop Residue Management on nutrient balance in rice-wheat cropping system in an Aquic hapludoll
- 36 Long-term residue and water management practice effects on particulate organic matter in a loessial soil in eastern Arkansas, USA [DOI]
- 37 IMPACTS OF TILLAGE, STUBBLE MANAGEMENT AND NITROGEN ON WHEAT PRODUCTION AND SOIL PROPERTIES [DOI]
- 38 Potassium and Residue Management Options to Enhance Productivity and Soil Quality in Zero Till Maize–Wheat Rotation [DOI]
- 39 Comparative evaluation of happy seeder technology versus normal sowing in wheat ( Triticum aestivum) in adopted village Killi Nihal Singh of Bathinda district of Punjab [DOI]
- 40 Effects of fire on soil carbon and nitrogen in a Mediterranean oak forest of Algeria [DOI]
- 41 BURNING CROP RESIDUES: EFFECT ON SELECTED SOIL CHARACTERISTICS AND LONG-TERM WHEAT YIELDS [DOI]
- 42 Effect of long-term recycling of crop residues on soil productivity
- 43 Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia [DOI]
- 44 Bio-chemical properties and nutrient availability in soil as influenced by in-situ paddy residue burning in semi-arid region of Punjab
- 45 Effect of tillage, rice residue and nitrogen-management practice on yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and chemical properties of soil under rice (Oryza sativa)-wheat system [DOI]
- 46 Effect of Straw Burning on Soil Enzyme Activity,Soil Microbial Quantity and Physical and Chemical Properties of Soil in Different Plough Layer
- 47 Direct Effects of Stubble Burning on Some Edaphic Characteristics of Coastal Plain Sands at Different Heating Intensities [DOI]
- 48 Cool Farming : Climate impacts of agriculture and mitigation potential
- 49 Biologically Active Pools of Carbon and Nitrogen in Tallgrass Prairie Soil [DOI]
- 50 Agricultural waste management strategies for environmental sustainability [DOI]
- 51 Nexus Between Crop Residue Burning, Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development Goals Over North-Western India [DOI]
- 52 Energy budgeting and carbon footprints of zero-tilled pigeonpea–wheat cropping system under sole or dual crop basis residue mulching and Zn-fertilization in a semi-arid agro-ecology [DOI]
- 53 Effect of Rice Straw and Stubble Burning on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Bacterial Communities in Central Thailand [DOI]
- 54 Identification of a resource-efficient integrated crop management practice for the rice-wheat rotations in south Asian Indo-Gangetic Plains [DOI]
- 55 Conservation Tillage [DOI]
- 56 Effects of burning harvested residues on the archaeal and bacterial communities of Eucalyptus urophylla substituting native vegetation [DOI]
- 57 Effects of stubble burning and firecrackers on the air quality of Delhi [DOI]
- 58 Effect of 50 Years of No-Tillage, Stubble Retention, and Nitrogen Fertilization on Soil Respiration, Easily Extractable Glomalin, and Nitrogen Mineralization [DOI]
- 59 Stubble burning and wildfires in Turkey considering the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations [DOI]
- 60 Influence of 11 years of crop residue management on rice productivity under varied nitrogen levels in the rice-wheat cropping system [DOI]
- 61 Spatio-Temporal Characterization of Agriculture Residue Burning in Punjab and Haryana, India, Using MODIS and Suomi NPP VIIRS Data [DOI]
- 62 Benzene and Toluene from Stubble Burning and Their Implications for Ozone Chemistry and Human Health in the Indo-Gangetic Plain Region [DOI]
- 63 Crop residue management in rice-wheat system of Pakistan and its impact on yield and nutrient uptake [DOI]
- 64 Soil physical and hydraulic properties in a rice-wheat cropping system in India: effects of rice-straw management [DOI]
- 65 Responses of soil enzymatic activity to rice residue management technologies and fertilizer levels in the rice rhizosphere on a clay loam [DOI]
Cited by 14
Prashant Ravish, Smita Chaudhry, Urvashi Kashyap · Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy · 2025
Wena Shafeeq Tawfeeq, Hastyar Hama Rashid Najmuldeen, Mohammed Hassan · Applied and Environmental Soil Science · 2025
Biswajith Bolem · 2025
Tunahan Çınar, Mehmet Fatih Cakır, Abdurrahim Aydın · Natural Hazards · 2025
Anamika Palavesam Sarathamani, Anil Kumar · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · 2025
Manuel Humberto Cháirez-Ramírez, Jesus Omar Díaz-Rivas, Javier Isaac Contreras-Ramírez · Zero Landfill · 2026
Kirpa Ram, Sunder Singh Arya, Navneet Kumari · Waste to Resources · 2026
Yaodong Li, Xinxin Liu, Gang Li · Combustion Science and Technology · 2025
Tanish Aggarwal, Chakshu Arora, Kirti Gupta · 2025 12th International Conference on Computing for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom) · 2025
Shreshtha Saxena, M.P. Moharil, P.V. Jadhav · Plant Nano Biology · 2025
Showing 11 of 14 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.
Related research
- Microbial Contributions in Alleviating Decline in Soil Fertility — shares topic coverage
- Correlation Analysis of Soil Nutrient Dynamics in Mulberry (Morus indica L.) Enhanced by Multi-Strain Liquid Biofertilizer Consortia for Sustainable Sericulture Development — shares topic coverage
- Effect of Biofertilization with a Mixture of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Natural Phosphate from Tilemsi on the Growth and Grain Yield of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) in the Field in Koumantou — shares topic coverage
- Agronomic and Yield Characteristics of Grain Sorghum as Influenced by Environment Factors and Genotype — shares topic coverage
- Potential Role of Groundnut Stover in Soil Nutrient Management for a Sustainable Rainfed Upland Rice Production in Bimodal Rain Forest Zone of Cameroon — shares topic coverage
Article metrics
Real usage data collected on this platform.
0
Page views
0
PDF downloads
0
Outbound clicks
14
Citations
Views by country
Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".
No views recorded yet.
Traffic sources
Referring site, by host.
No traffic recorded yet.
Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.