Technical Abstract: Conservation production practices have been shown to improve soil quality, and may increase crop yield and quality. Reductions in tillage and incorporation of cover crops have the potential to improve soil nutrients and water availability, reducing the need for supplemental irrigation. Traditional high-intensity tillage methods are frequently used in the Mississippi Delta. While the region enjoys high rainfall, increasing use of ground water for crop irrigation has begun to deplete the alluvial aquifer. We are interested in exploring the potential of conservation production practices to increase economic returns, in part by reducing fuel costs, and conserve ground water resources. Two critical issues are timely residue management and good germination of the cash crop. Conservation methods are compromised by early season rains that limit access to fields, increase soil water-logging, and decrease soil temperatures. This research was undertaken to examine differences in soil nutrients and water availability following different tillage practices and with incorporation of winter wheat cover crops into cotton production. We measured changes in cotton fiber quality and yield under different management practices. Improvements in soil quality, as determined by the Soil Conditioning Index, were minimal even after three years of conservation management. Increased yields of the cotton crop were observed only in the third year of the study. Adapting conservation practices for alluvial soils requires ingenuity in addressing early-season soil moisture levels that limit seed bed preparation, planting, and germination. Failure to establish a good plant stand reduces yield of the cash crop. Incentive payments made to farmers to encourage implementation of conservation production practices need to be examined for applicability to Delta soils and environment.