Tillage for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, L.) production in the Mississippi River Delta region usually begins with seed bed preparation in the late fall or early spring. Tillage used in building seed beds includes: disking to break up large soil aggregates; smoothing the soil; and bedding the soil into raised crown beds. Raised crown beds allow the soil to warm rapidly and promote drainage of excess surface water. Spring and early summer weather conditions in the Mississippi Delta region vary widely from week to week and year to year. Rainfall frequently occurs as heavy down pours. Heavy, frequent rainfall on loose, unconsolidated soil surfaces such as those in conventionally tilled fields tends to promote accelerated soil erosion. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of tillage technology on sediment loading of runoff water. Sediment loading of runoff was used to estimate soil erosion for a conventionally tilled and a conservation tilled cotton field in the Bayou Bartholomew watershed. Runoff water from rainfall in conservation tillage cotton fields contained 84 % less sediment than runoff water from conventionally tilled cotton during the entire growing season. Runoff water from rainfall was found to contain more sediment than runoff water from irrigation, regardless of tillage system. As the cotton crop matured and plants became larger during the growing season the foliage intercepted more rain droplets in the canopy than less mature cotton seedlings, and less sediment was observed in runoff water.