The phrase "a double-edged sword" portrays something that is advantageous in some ways however dangerous in others. One case is expelling maize stover (the husks, stems, and leaves of corn plants) from fields. Maize stover is utilized to make cellulosic ethanol, a sustainable biofuel. Furthermore, sustainable biofuels are useful to the earth. Be that as it may, evacuating the stover can hurt the earth since it can make the soil disintegrate and further the soil can lose its nutrients which can be harmful to soil protection.
According to Phys.org, a scientist named, Cynthia Bartel is all set to find a technique which can lessen the harm to soil and prove it beneficial for soil protection after removing maize stover. Cynthia Bartel is a doctoral student studying at Iowa State University. "While water and wind erosion are substantial problems for maize stover removal, soil quality preservation is an even greater constraint," she explained.
Bartel is working on finding a way to remove the maize stover but in the same time, soil quality should be preserved for better soil protection. She swung to past research for ideas and found that cover or companion harvests can enhance the quality of the soil. Bartel preferred utilizing cover crops, yet was interested in an alternate sort of crop yield.
Yearly cover crops, which must be replanted each year, should have been used in the research but News R reported that Bartel proceeded with study at Iowa State University (ISU) including perennial groundcover, and particularly grasses. The use of perennial groundwater can be a win-win situation for the research as natural resources can be preserved with a reduction in costs. Her research regarding the soil protection has been published in journal Agronomy.
A future research on soil protection depends on her work. She has explored the possible way for lessening the harm on soil protection way while increasing the benefits of removal of maize stover, and still, the research work is going on.
