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Rice straw is produced throughout the world as a biproduct of rice cultivation. The options for the disposition of rice straw are limited by the great bulk of material, slow degradation in the soil, harboring of rice stem diseases, and high mineral content. Fields must be cleaned of straw to make way for the next crop. Soil incorporation and field burning have been the major practices for removing rice straw. Field burning is fast, economical and removes disease organisms, but is now tightly regulated. Incorporation is slower, more expensive and may fostes rice diseases. Since neither of these traditional methods are ideal, additional alternatives have been sought and developed. One of the major alternative uses is as a component of animal feed in regions where animal feeds are a scarce commodity. None of the other alternatives have become a major means of disposition of rice straw. Rice straw produced in California has traditionally been burned in the field. With the growing population of the Sacramento Valley, this practice is rapidly becoming unacceptable. Soil incorporation has increased as burning has decreased. The limitations of soil incorporation are now being felt, leading to greater incentives to develop alternative methods of disposal. If economically viable alternatives could be identified and developed, these alternatives would provide the resources for the rapid and economical removal of straw from rice fields. Ideally, instead of being unwanted and difficult to dispose of, rice straw would become a valuable commodity to be harvested for profit. |
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