Use of the Fieldprint Calculator to Evaluate the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Crop Rotation/Tillage Treatments in the Coastal Bend Region of Texas

The no-till or conservation system has been adopted by many farmers due to its promising long-term soil improvement, including its fertility and erodibility characteristics. The Fieldprint calculator is a tool offered by the Field to Market organization created to help producers understand and visualize how certain management decisions impact the sustainability and efficiency of field operations. The objective of this study is to evaluate, using the Fieldprint calculator, the effects of conservation tillage systems and residue management in water and nutrient availability in the soil.  This study was conducted at the Texas A&M Agrilife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi-TX, between 2011 and 2016. Cotton/sorghum rotation plots were established in a split plot design with conservation and conventional tillage practices as sub-plots. The information given by the program can be used by decision makers to develop improved approaches to face the scarcity of water and food in Texas, the nation and beyond.  It can also demonstrate to producers and students the usefulness of the Field to Market Fieldprint Calculator to monitor and manage the sustainability of crops under these rotation sequences and tillage practices.