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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #168276
Title: FURROW IRRIGATED COTTON-SORGHUM ROTATION FOR THE TEXAS NORTHERN PLAINS

Author
item Howell, Terry
item Tolk, Judy
item Baumhardt, Roland - Louis
item Evett, Steven - Steve

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2004
Publication Date: 10/31/2004
Citation: Howell, T.A., Tolk, J.A., Baumhardt, R.L., Evett, S.R. 2004. Furrow irrigated cotton-sorghum rotation for the Texas northern plains [abstract]. Agronomy Abstracts, ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, Seattle, Wasghington. 2004 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rotations provide biodiversity and offer improved sustainable production systems, particularly in semi-arid regions like the Southern High Plains of the United States. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] were grown in rotation (Cotton-Sorghum, C-S; Cotton-Cotton, C-C; Sorghum-Cotton, S-C; and Sorghum-Sorghum, S-S) in 2001 through 2003 at Bushland, TX on a Pullman clay loam soil under furrow irrigation in plots that were 300 m in length and 18 rows (0.76-m spacing) in width. The experimental design was a RCB with three replications. All three seasons were drought summers. Cotton yields for both C-S and C-C in 2002 were greatly reduced by pests, but the 2001 C-C and C-S yields were greater than the regional irrigated cotton yields while 2003 C-S and C-C yields were comparable with regional yields. Cotton yields were increased by 11% and 17% in 2002 and 2003, respectively, following sorghum (C-S) compared with continuous cotton (C-C), although the differences were not statistically different (P=0.05). Sorghum yield was increased 11% by the rotation following cotton (S-C) compared with continuous sorghum (S-S) in 2002 and 9% in 2003, although differences were not significant (P=0.05) in either year. Additional research in seasons with differing climatic patterns will be required before absolute conclusions are developed. The 2002 and 2003 results indicated an advantage for a rotation of sorghum with cotton (S-C and C-S).