“Don’t burn, cultivate stubble!”

Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies of Cyprus International University (CIU), Prof. Dr. Mustafa Erayman, reminded that the soils in the Mediterranean climate zone are poor in organic matter, and stated that stubble burning, which is preferred by many people, makes the soil even more barren and that instead of burning stubble, cultivating stubble should be preferred. 
Erayman said that stubble is the straw and crown of plants left on the soil surface after harvesting wheat and barley, and noted that in order to facilitate the planting of a second crop, stubble is not buried but preferred to be burned. 
Dean Erayman underlined that while stubble burning is thought to be effective as a  short term practice in combating diseases and pests, this is actually not true and creates an opposite effect.
Erayman said that the blackening of the field after stubble burning not only emits ultraviolet rays and attracts pests such as aphids, but also does not prevent root diseases affecting the stems or unburned plants around the field, and nor does it prevent leaf spot diseases such as Septoria, and that this situation causes the soil to become even more barren.
Erayman stated that burning stubble also disrupts natural balance by endangering the lives of wild animals in the fields and said, “Birds eat harmful insects that infest the plants in the field, and snakes are the enemies of mice which are the troublemakers of our farmers mostly make their nests in the fields, and with stubble burning the lives and biodiversity of these creatures are also put at risk.”
Erayman also pointed out that one of the most important risks of burning stubble is fire risks, and said, “Stubble left in the field catches fire instantly like gunpowder. It can spread to other fields, houses, forests, etc. with wind and cause great material and moral damage.”
In his speech, to conclude, Erayman said that the best alternative to stubble burning is the stubble cultivating method, which has become popular in many countries in recent years and is a method that increases soil fertility. He recommended, “Direct stubble field-seeding with special machinery and equipment encourages crop rotation, improves the organic matter and beneficial microorganism activities in the soil, reduces inputs such as water and fertilizer, and increases quality and productivity.”