Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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I don't know the difference between hay and straw (lemmy.zip)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/showerthoughts

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

the cost to replace the carbon would be higher that what you'd get for the straw after the cost of harvesting it

The cost to replace what carbon? Plants don't take carbon in from the soil

[–] thirdBreakfast 1 points 3 months ago

Great question (and we are reaching the outside edge of my knowledge here). Something like 3-5% of carbon in plants is taken up from the soil by plant roots. I don't fully understand the mechanism, but the organic carbon percentage is an important competent in the calculation of how much artificial nitrogen a crop is going to need, so I guess it's probably some biochemical process for making the nitrogen available.

The organic carbon percentage is closely watched by farmers and is something of an indication of soil health. ie if your crop rotation is reducing the OC% over time then you probably need to reconsider it. It's one of the reasons burning crop stubbles is a much rarer practice now.