Increased yield of cotton has been observed with no-tillage (NT) following winter wheat cover compared with conventional tillage (CT); however the reasons for NT benefits have remained unclear. The objectives of these studies were to document differences in plant growth between the two tillage systems, and to investigate possible interactions between vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi and cotton plant performance. Two primary questions were addressed. First, how much benefit is provided cotton by the NT system as compared with CT? Second, do VAM fungi contribute to increased growth of cotton?