Runoff Water Dynamics in Conservation Cotton Systems

Conserving soil moisture is paramount in semi-arid cropping systems. We evaluated the effect of cover crops and no-till on water quality and infiltration in continuous cotton systems. Evaluated treatments included conventional tillage, not-tillage and no-tillage with wheat, Austrian winter field pea, or hairy vetch cover crops.  Water quality, time to runoff, and infiltration was monitored.