ABSTRACT

Seven tillage systems for corn residue incorporation in continuous cotton and cotton following ridge-tillage corn were evaluated (1999-2002) in a non-irrigated system on a Marietta silt loam soil to determine their influence on cotton lint yield and turnout. The corn production system across all cotton tillage systems was planted no-till and had one ridge-till cultivation during the growing season. The 3-yr (2000-2002) cotton lint yield average was 984 lb/acre. Rotation increased yield from 57 to 160 lb/acre with a 3-yr (2000-2002) average of 100 lb/acre. Analysis indicated a tillage and a year by rotation effect on lint yield. There was no rotation, rotation by tillage, year by tillage, or year by tillage by rotation effect on yield. The year 2000 was the only year rotation had yields higher than conventional cotton. Conventional tillage, fall terratill-bed-roller (one-pass operation) and ridge-till followed by (Fb) do-all (row conditioner) at planting had yield of 933 to 945 lb/acre. This was 55 to 82 lb/acre lower than fall disk + bed-roller Fb do-all; fall disk + terratill-bed-roller Fb do-all; fall coulter-chisel-harrow (one-pass operation) + terratill-bed-roller Fb do-all; fall terratill-bed-roller Fb do-all which showed no differences in yield. Year and tillage only affected gin turnout. The year 2000 had a turnout of 38.7% and was higher than the 2001and 2002 turnout of 37.8% and 34.4%, respectively. Conventional tillage, fall terratill-bed-roller Fb do-all and coulter-chisel-harrow + terratill-bed-roller Fb do-all had lower turnout than disk + bed-roller Fb do-all.