Response of cotton to cropping and tillage systems in the Texas rolling plains

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are the major agronomic crops grown in the Texas Rolling Plains, and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] is an adapted high residue crop that is grown on a limited scale. Much of the cotton is grown in continuous monoculture (CC), largely because it is considered to be the most profitable crop for the area. Also, acreage bases restrict individual farms to a monoculture operation. High residue crops now are required in Conservation Compliance Plans. The primary objective of the present study was to determine the effects of combinations of cropping and tillage systems on cotton production. A study comparing the effects of tillage and crop rotations on cotton production was conducted for 8 yr (1985-1992) in the Texas Rolling Plains. Reduced (RT) and conventional (CT) tillage systems were used in combination with a wheat-cotton rotation in a fallow system (WFC). Cotton was grown in rotation with sorghum (SC) in the RT system. Furrow diking was used in RT systems. Continuous cotton in the RT system produced yields equal to those from the SC rotation, and significantly greater than those from CC-CT. Cotton in the WFC systems produced yields equivalent to those in the CC-RT system. The CC-RT system is a viable system on land not susceptible to erosion. The SC-RT system provided the best alternative for highly erodible land because a crop is obtained each year. The WFC systems produce only two crops in 3 yr.