soil

The residue retention requirement represents the minimum quantity of crop residue (dry tons per acre per year) that must remain on the field to satisfy soil sustainability constraints, including maintenance of soil organic carbon and limits on wind and water erosion. See Metadata description for residue retention coefficients.pdf for more detailed information.

The dataset is comprised of "MuthFiles_Version2025POLYSYS_ChadHellwin.zip" corresponding to the version used in the POLYSYS model for the Billion-Ton Report; Residue removal coefficients to KDF.7z which will open an Excel file (extension .xlsx) by the same name when unzipped; MuthMapping_MDavis-Oct30-2025.7z which when unzipped using 7zip or similar service will deliver several individual maps of the datasets and a Jupyter Notebook (.ipynb extension) to visualize the data and produce the maps delivered in this zipped file.

Note that residue retention values were derived from process-based modeling (EPIC and RUSLE) as reported in Muth et al.(2012). These values are not percentages or fractions. A value of 10 tons/acre/year should be interpreted as: Residue removal is effectively constrained (no removal feasible) under modeled conditions. Values vary by: Crop type, County, Tillage system, Yield scenario, and Year.

For additional information, please see BT16 resources as well as:
Muth, D. J., et al. (2012). Sustainable agricultural residue removal for bioenergy: A spatially comprehensive US national analysis. Applied Energy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.07.028