Double Crop Cotton and Wheat with Continuous Tillage Systems

Shelby H. Baker


 
ABSTRACT

Double cropping cotton and wheat with five continuous tillage systems was compared with a conventional check. Test was conducted on a Tifton loamy sand in 1982-84 using the cultivar McNair 220. Cotton was planted after wheat with no-tillage, burn with notillage, bottom plowed, rip-hip and deep harrowing. Wheat residue was destroyed on all plots except notillage by burning. All double crop herbicides were applied post plant and irrigated. Conventional check herbicides were applied PPI and pre-emerge. Conventional check was planted April 23, April 28, May 1 and double crop May 31, June 10, and June 18 in 1982, 1983 and 1984 respectively. Final stands were adequate in all plots, approximately two plants per foot except in 1984 when no-till plots were slightly lower, but did not seem to effect yield.

Three year average yield for the conventional check was significantly higher than double crop cotton after wheat. There were no differences between maximum or minimum tillage treatments after wheat. Yields for the harrowing and burn no-tillage treatment were similar and the no-tillage treatment was significantly lower than all treatments. Three year average lint yields were 1578 for the conventional check, 1177 for rip-hip, 1157 for bottom plow, 1143 for harrowing, 1094 for burn no-tillage and 884 for no-tillage.

These data show minimum tillage yields equal to maximum tillage yields. In 1983, there appeared to be a trend developing for reduced yields with reduced tillage, but this trend did not continue in 1984. Adequate moisture through irrigation and rainfall apparently negated expected differences between minimum and, maximum tillage. In most years dollar value of a cotton-wheat crop would equal a full season cotton crop. These data also show that by using early maturing cultivars, economic yields of cotton can be obtained when planted much later than previously recommended.



Reprinted from 1985 Proceedings: Beltwide Cotton Production Research Conferences pg. 310
©National Cotton Council, Memphis TN

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Document last modified Sunday, Dec 6 1998