TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ENVIRONMENT - Preferred Method: The method (M1) involves: fragmenting the work material, prior to the distributing step, to permit the substance to act upon the resulting fragments of the work material to promote the decomposition. The applying step is approximately in conjunction with the fragmenting step. The distributing step involves the distribution of the fragments on soil and intermixing the fragments with the soil after the distributing step. The method (M1) involves: applying a surfactant to the fragments of the work material to enhance the decomposition; applying a humectant solution to the fragments of the work material to accelerate the decomposition of the work material; applying an acid selected from nitric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, and any other acid based fertilizer; applying at least one treating solution selected from a pesticide, herbicide and/or fungicide; and performed using a flail type mower operable to fragment the work material and the mower has a spray system operable, in the applying step, to spray the solution on the fragments simultaneously. The fragments of the work material are covered with the solution. The work material includes rice straw cuttings resulting from the harvest of rice grown in the soil and involves the step of distributing the covered fragments of the rice straw cuttings on the soil. In the method (M2), during the applying step, completely covering the fragments with the solution to penetrate the rice straw to promote the decomposition. Preferred Components: The substance of the applying step is a solution including nitrate-urea and fulvic acid, where the solution includes not greater than 5 parts nitrate-urea and one part fulvic acid; or a solution including nitrate-urea and humic acid, where the solution includes not greater than 5 parts nitrate-urea and not greater than 1 part humic acid. The solution includes a fertilizer containing an acid.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Apparatus: The work assembly is a mower. The predetermined position is forwardly of the work assembly relative to the direction of travel; and rearwardly relative to the direction of travel. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.