Abstract
Reducing tillage has become necessary in irrigated, arid cropping systems in southwestern USA, to address soil degradation and erosion problems associated with intensive soil tillage. A study was conducted in arid southwestern USA, to compare a reduced tillage method (strip tillage) to two conventional tillage methods (plow tillage and raised bed tillage) for irrigated upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) production. Strip tillage (ST) was established in a single pass by a strip tillage equipment, while the plow tillage (PT) consisted of plowing, disking the soil twice, subsoiling and harrowing. The raised bed tillage (BT) consisted of all the tillage operations under PT method, with an additional tillage event to shape the beds. Crop and soil parameters were assessed during the growing seasons. Soil physical and biological measurements were assessed at the beginning of the trial before planting, and at the end of each cropping season. Results show no significant differences in cotton yield and fiber quality parameters under the tillage systems tested. Out of the soil physical measurements assessed, the cone index (CI) significantly differed with tillage systems during the mid-season assessments, with BT generally having better CI than ST and PT. Other physical measurements were not significant with tillage, but significantly declined over time irrespective of tillage treatments. Out of the soil biological measurements assessed, the total fungal biomass and the arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi biomass were significant with tillage, with ST and BT having higher measurements than PT. In contrast to soil physical measurements that declined, most of the soil biological measurements improved over time. Comparing some soil biological measurements at the beginning to the end of the trial across the tillage treatments, the total microbial biomass increased from 714 to 3565 ng/g, the total bacterial biomass increased from 321 to 1478 ng/g, and the total fungal biomass increased from 84 to 436 ng/g. This study shows that ST can perform adequately for sustainable cotton production in an irrigated arid region of United States.
Highlights
Cotton production in the southwestern United States is accompanied by intensive, yearly soil tillage leading to soil quality degradation and widespread wind erosion that characterize this region [1].Agriculture 2020, 10, 531; doi:10.3390/agriculture10110531 www.mdpi.com/journal/agricultureMost of the cotton fields are prepared in the early spring with full inversion tillage using primary and secondary tillage equipment and multiple field passes, to create a suitable, bare soil seedbed for planting
Some of the previous observations made in some studies have shown lower cotton plant population in reduced tillage compared to the conventional tillage systems
A trial conducted over 2 years to compare plow tillage and raised bed tillage to strip tillage, showed no significant differences in cotton yields and fiber quality parameters across the tillage treatments
Summary
Cotton production in the southwestern United States is accompanied by intensive, yearly soil tillage leading to soil quality degradation and widespread wind erosion that characterize this region [1].Agriculture 2020, 10, 531; doi:10.3390/agriculture10110531 www.mdpi.com/journal/agricultureMost of the cotton fields are prepared in the early spring with full inversion tillage using primary and secondary tillage equipment and multiple field passes, to create a suitable, bare soil seedbed for planting. Cotton production in the southwestern United States is accompanied by intensive, yearly soil tillage leading to soil quality degradation and widespread wind erosion that characterize this region [1]. The interval between the land preparation and waiting for an optimal temperature for planting cotton often coincide with the period of high wind velocities, leading to massive wind erosion from the bare, tilled landscapes that are waiting to be planted. Wind erosion is a major land degradation concern in the desert southwest [2,3]. The need for reduced tillage has become necessary in this region for long-term resource conservation and for improvement of soil health. Several studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of reduced tillage on soil properties in cotton production systems [4,5,6]. Karamanos et al [4] reported that no tillage and minimum tillage led to improved soil water status, foliage growth, and yield of cotton compared to the conventional tillage
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