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Title: TILLAGE AND POULTRY LITTER APPLICATION EFFECTS ON COTTON GROWTH AND YIELD

Author
item REDDY, C - ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
item NYAKATAWA, E - ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
item Reeves, Donald

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/16/2004
Publication Date: 10/25/2004
Citation: Reddy, C.K., Nyakatawa, E.Z., Reeves, D.W. 2004. Tillage and poultry litter application effects on cotton growth and yield. Agronomy Journal. 96:1641-1650.

Interpretive Summary: Increased adoption of environmentally friendly conservation tillage for cotton production is constrained by reputed concerns of reduced lint yields. The use of poultry litter to supply nitrogen to cotton may offer benefits to producers practicing conservation tillage, as well as provide an environmentally responsible means for waste disposal. Researchers at Alabama A&M University, Normal, AL in cooperation with a USDA-ARS scientist from the J. Phil Campbell Sr. Natural Resource Conservation Center, Watkinsville, GA, evaluated the use of poultry litter with various tillage systems for cotton production in the Tennessee Valley of north Alabama to develop a production system that alleviates these concerns. The use of a winter rye cover crop with no-tillage provided 100% soil coverage for erosion control. Cotton lint yields averaged over all systems evaluated ranged from 1007 lb lint/acre to 1255 lb lint/acre over the six-year study period. Application of poultry litter to supply 90 lb/acre of nitrogen provided similar yields as commercial ammonium nitrate fertilizer to supply the same nitrogen rate. Cotton grown with no-tillage and poultry litter to supply 180 lb nitrogen/acre increased yields 28% compared to the standard practice of conventional tillage with 90 lb nitrogen/acre supplied as ammonium nitrate. With adequate N fertility from poultry litter, no-tillage with winter rye cover cropping is ideal for cotton production. Farmers, crop consultants, and action agencies like the Cooperative Extension Service and USDA-NRCS can use this information to more effectively reduce soil erosion and dispose of poultry litter on the 6.3 million acres of cotton grown

Technical Abstract: Although use of no-tillage in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, L.) production in the southeast USA has dramatically increased recently, reports of reduced seedling emergence, poor plant establishment, reduced growth, delayed maturity, and low yields still constrain adoption. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tillage systems on growth and yield of cotton grown in rotation with corn (Zea mays L.) and a winter rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop with poultry litter application in north Alabama. Results from 1996 to 2001 are reported in this paper. The treatment factors were three tillage systems, two cropping systems, two N sources, and four N levels. Winter rye cover cropping increased surface residue cover by up to 35%, 70%, and 100% in conventional tillage, mulch tillage, and no-tillage systems, respectively. Despite initial differences in rate of seedling emergence, final seedling establishment averaged 10 seedlings m-1 in all treatments. At the rate of 100 kg N ha-1, the effect of poultry litter on cotton growth and yield parameters was generally lower or similar to that of ammonium nitrate. However, at 200 kg N ha-1, poultry litter improved cotton growth and lint yield compared to ammonium nitrate or poultry litter at 100 kg N ha-1. Cotton lint yields averaged over all treatments were ranged from 1128 to 1405 kg ha-1 over the study period. With adequate N fertility from poultry litter, no-tillage and mulch-tillage systems with winter rye cover cropping are ideal for cotton production in the southeast USA.