Effect of Irrigation Timing and Conservation Tillage on Cotton Production

Irrigation capacity is a concern in semi-arid environments due to declining aquifer levels and competing water users. We evaluated the effect of irrigation timing on cotton production in conservation tillage systems. Irrigation strategies included irrigating 0.15 inch per day after stand establishment vs. delaying irrigation initiation at flowering, irrigating 0.15 or 0.2 inch per day thereafter. Tillage systems included conventional tillage, no-tillage, strip-tillage, and no-tillage with a terminated wheat cover crop. Over the last four years, we found that delayed irrigation to critical growth stages did not significantly affect lint yields. No-till systems, with and without cover crops, resulted in significantly higher lint yields than strip-tillage and conventional tillage.