What practice involves leaving stubble from old crops to preserve soil organic matter?

Stubble retention is a vital agricultural practice that involves leaving the remaining stalks and residues from previous crops on the surface of the soil. This approach plays a significant role in preserving soil organic matter, which is crucial for maintaining soil health and fertility. The leftover stubble provides several benefits: it helps to protect the soil from erosion, improves moisture retention, and enhances the structure of the soil as it decomposes.

As the stubble breaks down, it adds organic matter back into the soil, fostering beneficial microbial activity and promoting nutrient cycling. This is particularly important in sustainable farming, where the goal is to maintain or improve the soil's productivity without depleting its resources.

In contrast, practices like cover cropping involve planting crops specifically for the purpose of improving soil health, while soil compaction refers to a condition that can degrade soil quality by compressing soil particles. Crop rotation entails alternating crops in a field over time to improve soil health and manage pest and disease cycles. While all these practices can contribute positively to agriculture, stubble retention explicitly focuses on utilizing the remnants of previous crops to enhance soil organic matter.