EFFECT OF VERTICAL TRENCHING OF CELLULOSE WASTE ON CROP YIELD AND HARDPAN RECONSOLIDATION

Trenches placed midway between rows were filled with a mixture of soil , cellulose material, and poultry litter. Soybeans and grain sorghum w ere grown in rows adjacent to the trenched areas for multiple years. R esults showed that a trenching effect, with or without the presence of cellulose, significantly increased plant yields, particularly in dry years. Cone index measurements taken three years after the trenches we re created showed no sign of hardpan consolidation from natural forces .