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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #72395
Title: PARATILL EFFECTS ON WATER CONSERVATION AND GRAIN PRODUCTION ON DRYLAND

Author
item Jones, Ordie

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/3/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The effects of paratillage (PP) on water conservation and grain production were determined from 1990-1995 on a dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) - grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) - fallow rotation at Bushland, TX. Paratillage was performed to a 35-cm depth every 3 yr after sorghum harvest on no-tillage (NT) and stubblemulch (SM) managed watersheds. Six-yr mean soil water contents at planting of wheat or sorghum were not significantly affected by PP treatment on either NT or SM watersheds, thus PP did not improve water conservation during fallow. Paratillage, however, did increase sorghum yield by 9% on SM and 11% on NT with similar increases in water-use-efficiency (WUE), possibly due to PP effects on rooting. Yield and WUE of wheat were not affected by PP treatment.