ABSTRACT:
Adoption of conservation tillage for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) increased a modest 5.5 percent from 1992 to 1998 despite the evidence of the benefits to erosion control, soil health, and associated natural resources derived from conservation tillage. The Monsanto Centers of Excellence were established to evaluate the potential benefits of conservation tillage across a range of soils and climates. Our objective is to summarize the results from field-scale studies conducted at 12 Centers of Excellence sites in seven states from 1998 through 2002. No-tillage, strip tillage, reduced tillage and conventional tillage cotton production were evaluated in this study. All sites had a no-tillage and conventional tillage system, while eight of the 12 sites had a reduced tillage system and two of the 12 sites had a strip tillage system. Differences among tillage systems within a site did not show any significant effects on soil quality indicators. The variability within a site was quite large due to the limited number of samples collected at each location and the short-period of record covered by the study. Lint yield differences between no-tillage, strip tillage, reduced tillage, and conventional tillage systems were not significant. The 5-year average profit for the no-tillage system ranged from $17 to $164 ha−1 ($7 to $66 ac−1) higher than the other 3 systems. Even though these differences were not significant because of large variations in environment, soil type, and production practices between sites and years the profit was always positive for no-till systems compared to other tillage systems. We conclude that farmers, crop consultants, and others should carefully consider overall profit rather than just crop yield when evaluating alternative tillage practices.
Footnotes
Robert A. Buman is a consultant with Agren Inc. in Carroll, Iowa. Bruno A. Alesii works at the Monsanto Cordilera Ranch in Boeme, Texas. John F. Bradley works for Beltwide Cotton Genetics in Collierville, Tennessee. Jerry L. Hatfield is the laboratory director and Douglas L. Karlen is a soil scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service's National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
- Copyright 2005 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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