Deterioration of Soil Health Due to Stubble Burning: Solution to its Root Cause

Stubble burning has a great impact on environment, health of soil. The most often burned material is sugarcane leaves, followed by wheat and paddy. One centimeter of soil is heated by burning paddy straw, raising the soil's temperature to 33.8 to 42.2°C. According to reports, the fire steadily reduced soil biological activity and organic matter by eradicating the bacterial and fungal populations necessary for a fruitful soil. Carbon in the ash cannot exist as a food source for the micro-organisms and acts only as a support for them. Thus, the activity of micro-organisms and their population declines which results in disruption of various biological processes in the soil.