DECOMPOSITION AND INTERACTIONS AMONG WHEAT RESIDUE COMPONENTS

Describes winter wheat residue components and chemical composition, and assesses the effect of mixing residue levels were measured on 20 field sites having grain yields ranging from 1 to 6 Mg ha-1. Residue was positively correlated with grain yield for the 1984 and 1985 crop years. Residue-to-grain ratios averaged 1.47 for 1984 and 1.17 for 1985. Ratios of stem, leaf sheath, chaff, and leaf blades averaged 37:30:20:13. Total C and N, soluble C, and nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations were not correlated with residue or grain yield. Comparison of single- and multiple-term exponential decay models showed that a single-term model adequately described decomposition of wheat residues. -from Authors