John Sij, Kurt Lemon, David Bordovsky, Todd Baughman, and Greg Church. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1658, Vernon, TX 76385
More than 90% of cotton production on the semiarid Texas Rolling Plains is dryland. Therefore, stored soil moisture and preseason precipitation are highly correlated with potential cotton yield. We hypothesize that production systems that capture and store enough rainfall during a fallow period will measurably stabilize and enhance dryland cotton yields. A double-crop/wheat fallow system should produce two crops in two years, capture rainfall, and provide a means to control serious weed and disease problems in both crops. Subsequent no-till or strip-till cotton planting into wheat stubble should protect cotton seedlings from high winds, reduce rainfall runoff, and result in higher quality runoff when intense rainfall events occur. This conservation tillage system should reduce labor and mechanical inputs and enhance economic returns to cotton producers while reducing production risks due to drought. First year results appear promising. Cotton and wheat yields were good, averaging at or above long-term means. There was a significant increase in stored soil moisture in the fallow plots following rainfall.
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