Technical Guidance on Returning Straw to the Field and Leaving the Field in Spring of 2026 in Heilongjiang Province

Agricultural and Rural Bureau of each city (prefecture), county (city, district), Beidahuang Agricultural Reclamation Group:

According to the meteorological department's forecast, the temperature in the spring of this year (March May) in the province will be slightly higher, and the final frost will be slightly earlier. The average precipitation in the province will be slightly higher than usual, with most cities receiving 10-20% more precipitation than usual. Most of Qiqihar, Daqing, and western Suihua will receive precipitation close to normal (0-100% less), and some areas will be affected by returning straw to fields and leaving fields in spring. To this end, we have organized experts to develop the "Technical Guidelines for Straw Returning to the Fields and Leaving the Fields in the Spring of 2026 Province". Agricultural and rural administrative departments and agricultural technology promotion departments in various regions need to combine local conditions and follow the principles of "adapting to local conditions, classifying treatment, not delaying farming time, and serving spring plowing" to guide agricultural machinery cooperatives, large-scale farmers, and farmers to scientifically choose the path of straw field treatment technology, achieve efficient straw returning to the fields and leaving the fields, ensure smooth preparation for spring plowing in 2026, and lay a solid foundation for high and stable grain production throughout the year.

Attachment: Technical Guidance for Straw Returning and Off Field Operations in Spring of 2026 in the Province

Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

March 11, 2026

Attachment

　　1、 Technical Model for Returning Corn Straw to the Field

（1） Corn straw mulching and returning to the field, no tillage sowing mode for the original crop

1. Technical points: During the autumn harvest, a corn combine harvester with a straw crushing device is used for operation. At the same time, corn straw is directly crushed and returned to the field, evenly scattered and covered on the surface for overwintering. In the spring of the second year, a heavy no tillage seeder is used for no tillage sowing. After the seedlings are planted, herbicides are used to kill grass, and deep tillage and fertilization operations are carried out in the ridges and ditches during the middle tillage. If the autumn straw is not crushed in a timely manner, use a straw crushing and returning machine to crush and evenly scatter the straw. The length of straw crushing should be 5-10cm, and the qualified rate of crushing length should be ≥ 90%, creating conditions for no tillage sowing in the later stage.

2. Adaptation area: This technology is suitable for the arid areas in the central and western regions of our province with strong sandstorms, insufficient precipitation, and poor soil, and is not suitable for wet and low-lying areas.

3. Precautions: If straw accumulates before sowing, a straw crushing and returning machine can be used for secondary straw crushing operations; In the western arid areas with shallow plowing layers, deep loosening can be carried out before the rainy season arrives. Deep loosening should be completed before mid June to avoid soil compaction during the rainy season; If encountering low temperatures in spring, deep loosening and cold release operations can be carried out during the seedling stage. In case of spring drought, synchronous operation with drip irrigation facilities can be used to improve soil moisture retention.

（2） Corn straw return cover with less tillage and sowing mode

1. Technical points: During the mechanized harvesting of corn in autumn, the straw is crushed and directly returned to the field, evenly covering the surface for overwintering. No other tillage and land preparation operations are carried out except for deep loosening operations. Before sowing in spring, use a straw returning machine to concentrate the straw between the sowing rows (you can choose the planting mode of 40-70cm, 50-80cm, 40-90cm wide and narrow rows, and concentrate the straw within the wide row spacing). You can choose a crop cutter to carry out seedling strip cutting operation and sow on the sowing rows without straw cover. Through the return of straw, a good sowing belt has been formed, with a focus on solving problems such as large amounts of straw that are prone to dragging and stacking, planting, and slow temperature rise.

2. Adaptation area: It is mainly suitable for wide and narrow row flat planting, suitable for humid, semi humid, and low-temperature cold climate conditions with sufficient spring rainfall. The accumulated temperature is above 2600 ℃ and the rainfall is between 350-600mm. It can also be used for hilly land, sandy land, and some flat areas.

3. Precautions: When harvesting corn, the straw should be crushed and returned to the field to cover the surface. The straw coverage rate should be ≥ 60%. Before sowing the following year, use a straw returning machine to clean the straw from the sowing zone to the non sowing zone to create conditions for sowing. Use a no tillage seeder to sow in the sowing zone and alternate planting the following year. When returning straw, attention should be paid to the timing of the operation. For areas with large straw coverage and relatively low-lying areas, the return operation can be carried out before deep loosening in autumn; For plots prone to spring drought or poor soil moisture, no till sowing can be carried out 3-5 days before sowing or immediately after returning to the field; For plots with less straw coverage, the tractor can be equipped with a front mounted return machine and a rear mounted no till seeder to complete the return and no till seeding operations in one go, reducing the number of times the locomotive enters the ground and improving operational efficiency.

（3） Corn straw strip tillage, mulching, returning to the field, and less tillage and sowing mode

1. Technical points: For autumn corn harvest, the straw is crushed and returned to the field to evenly cover the surface for overwintering. Before sowing, a strip tillage machine is used to deeply loosen, remove stubble, crush soil, and compact the ridge seedbed. The surface straw of the sowing zone is cleaned, and the soil layer of the seedbed is loosened. During spring sowing, a no till seeder is used to sow along the strip tillage zone in opposite rows. The deep loosening depth is 25-30cm, the width of a single row tillage strip is 20-30cm, and the shallow rotation depth is ≤ 15cm. It is also possible to directly use a no tillage seeder equipped with a stubble killing rotary tiller for sowing, weed control with pesticides after seedlings, and fertilization and cooling during middle tillage.

2. Suitable for all corn planting areas in our province.

3. Precautions: When carrying out strip tillage operations, attention should be paid to the timing of the operation. In areas where the drought is not severe in spring, the operation should be completed after crop harvest and before freezing. In spring, homework should be completed in a timely manner based on soil moisture. When the soil is sticky and wet, homework should be done 2-3 days before sowing; The soil moisture is suitable and strip tillage can be carried out on the day of sowing; In areas with severe drought in spring, it is advisable to cultivate and sow simultaneously.

　　2、 Technical model for returning rice straw to the field

（1） Technical Mode of Direct Stirring of Rice Straw

1. Technical points: In autumn, a full feed harvester equipped with a straw pulverizer and spreader is used for harvesting. The straw is evenly scattered and not piled up, with a stubble height of 25-30cm. In spring, water is directly used to soak the field, with a water depth of 2-3cm and a soaking time of 3-5 days. A slurry leveling machine with burying function is used for shallow water operation, with a water depth controlled at 1-2cm. After the slurry mixing operation is completed, herbicides are applied, and the soil is settled for 3-5 days to reach the ready to be inserted state.

2. Selection of machinery: Choose a four-wheel drive tractor with 70 horsepower or more or a tracked tractor; A high stubble mixing and leveling machine or a dual axis stubble removal mixing and leveling machine with a height of over 2.8m.

（2） Technical mode of straw plowing and returning to the field for slurry mixing operation

1. Technical points: In autumn, straw is buried and returned to the field in plots with high hardness such as white soil. When the soil thaws to 10-15cm, base fertilizer is applied, and a rotary tiller is used for rotary tillage and soil preparation. The proportion of soil blocks with a diameter of ≤ 5cm after rotary tillage should be ≥ 80%; For plots with low hardness, water can be directly soaked in the field 7-10 days before transplanting, with a water depth of 2/3 of the field. After soaking for 2-3 days, use a mixing and leveling machine to mix and level the soil 2-3 times, with a water depth controlled at 1-2cm and a depth of 15-18cm. After the mixing operation is completed, apply herbicides and settle for 3-5 days to reach the ready to plant state.

2. Selection of machinery: four-wheel drive tractor or crawler tractor with 70 horsepower or more, paddy field plow with 2.2m or more, and slurry leveler with 2.4m or more.

（3） Technical mode of rice straw rotary tillage and slurry mixing operation

1. Technical points: After mechanical harvesting in autumn, the straw is crushed and evenly scattered to cover the surface, with a root height of 10-15cm. In autumn or spring, a rotary tiller is used for dry rotation and field preparation, burying the straw and roots in the soil. 7-10 days before transplanting, apply base fertilizer, soak the field for 2-3 days, and use a mixing and leveling machine to mix and level the soil 2-3 times. The operating water depth is 1-2cm, and the operating depth is 12-15cm. After the mixing operation is completed, herbicides are applied, and the soil is settled for 3-5 days to reach the ready to be planted state.

2. Selection of machinery: four-wheel drive tractor or crawler tractor with 70 horsepower or more, rotary tiller with a height of 1.8m or more, and slurry leveler with a height of 2.4m (buried stubble slurry leveler or double axis buried grass slurry leveler).

3. Precautions: If there is a large amount of straw floating, please drain the water in the field and let it settle for 1-2 days. Then, use a leveling machine to perform another leveling operation and let it settle for 3-5 days. During the settling period, replenish water as needed to reach the ready to be inserted state. After rotary tillage, 5-8kg of urea can be applied per mu to balance the nitrogen consumption during straw decomposition.

　　3、 Technology for picking up, recycling and leaving the field of corn stalks

This mode is mainly suitable for surface stations and land plots in spring, where the soil surface is thawed by 3-5cm or the soil thawing depth is ≥ 5cm and the surface bearing capacity is>50kPa (which can be detected by a cone index meter). When it is suitable for mechanical operations, a tractor with a power of more than 120 horsepower can be directly used to tow a yellow storage forage picking and packing machine for off field operations. In case of continuous rainy weather in spring, a tracked low clearance baler can be used for operation, with a grounding pressure of ≤ 30kPa. For low-lying areas that have not yet been cleared of farmland, it is important to pay close attention to the weather and soil conditions. Once the locomotive is able to enter the land, it should be cleared as soon as possible. If it cannot be cleared, it can be adjusted to return to the field in a timely manner. The straw round or square bales that were packed but not taken out of the field last autumn should be taken out of the field and ground as soon as possible before the soil freezes.

　　4、 Treatment methods for field roots and residues after straw removal from the field

（1） Treatment methods for field roots and residues of corn stover after removal from the field

After the corn straw is packaged and removed from the field, if the residual root residue is greater than 15cm, a notched disc rake should be used to cut the residue, with a cutting depth of ≥ 8cm. Then, a straw picker or straw suction machine should be used to further clean the residual material in the field to achieve a clean surface. In fields with heavy soil texture and poor permeability, as well as areas with high precipitation, it is advisable to use mixed tillage technology for land preparation. In fields with thin tillage layers, prone to spring drought, and areas with low precipitation, the previous corn straw mulching no tillage technology model and corn straw mulching strip less tillage technology model can also be used for direct sowing using no tillage seeders.

（2） Treatment methods for field roots and residues of rice straw after removal from the field

After the rice straw is packaged and removed from the field, if the soil moisture content is low, it is advisable to use a rotary tiller for dry land preparation when the soil thawing reaches 15cm or more. The soil bulk density after rotary tillage should be ≤ 1.3g/cm ³ and the porosity should be ≥ 40%. For plots with accumulated water or high moisture content in the field, spring soil preparation can be carried out directly by referring to the previous rice straw direct mixing operation mode, straw burying and returning mixing operation mode, and rice straw rotary tillage mixing operation mode. If the stubble is too high during harvesting, a straw pulverizer and spreader can be used to pulverize and scatter it once before returning the straw to the field.

　　5、 Requirements for Storage and Management of Off site Straw

1. The distance between straw stacks should be ≥ 20m, and a fireproof isolation belt (width ≥ 1.5 times the stack height) should be set up. Polyethylene film and insect proof net should be used for double-layer coverage, and 200g of calcium hypochlorite solution should be sprayed per ton of straw for sterilization. Install temperature and humidity sensors, and start flipping the stack for heat dissipation when the internal temperature of the stack exceeds 60 ℃.

2. It is necessary to implement the stacking site and achieve the "six no's": not relying on villages, not relying on forests, not relying on roadsides, not relying on power facilities, not relying on water sources, not relying on greenhouse facilities and livestock pens. At the same time, measures such as insect and sterilization should be taken to seal off straw piles, and safety and fire inspections should be strengthened to prevent insect and fire disasters and ensure agricultural production safety.