Effect of Furrow Diking, Subsoiling, and Slope Position on Crop Yields1

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of furrow diking and subsoiling on runoff and crop yields were evaluated on gently sloping land in the Rolling Plains of Texas. Diking and subsoiling reduced runoff and significantly increased yields of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Yields of diked sorghum and cotton were 108 and 32% higher than the check, respectively. Yields of sorghum on the diked treatments on an Abilene loam soil (fine, mixed, thermic Pachic Argiustoll) averaged about 2550, 3300, and 3590 kg/ha or about 302, 140, and 42% more than the check treatment on the upper, middle, and lower parts of the slope, respectively. In contrast, cotton yields on the diked treatment on a Miles fine sandy loam soil (fine‐loamy, mixed, thermic udic Paleustalf) averaged about 465, 515, and 475 kg/ha or about 57, 37, and 11% more than the check on the upper, middle, and lower parts of the slope, respectively. Response to subsoiling varied with years and crops. Results show that a determinant crop such as sorghum is more critically affected by loss of water due to runoff than the less determinant cotton crop. These studies show that furrow diking is effective in reducing runoff and increasing crop yields and that location on the slope has a significant effect on yields.