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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #416892
Research Project: Enhancing Long-Term Agroecosystem Sustainability of Water and Soil Resources Through Science and Technology

Location: Water Quality and Ecology Research

Title: Irrigation Expenses and Economic Returns of Conservation Tillage and Cover Crop Cropping Systems

Author
item ROBERTS, CARSON - University Of Missouri
item GHOLSON, DREW - Mississippi State University
item QUINTANA-ASHWELL, NICHOLAS - Mississippi State University
item Locke, Martin
item PIERALISI, BRIAN - Mississippi State University
item SPENCER, G. - Mississippi State University
item CROW, WHITNEY - Mississippi State University
item KRUTZ, JASON - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/28/2025
Publication Date: 3/11/2025
Citation: Roberts, C., Gholson, D., Quintana-Ashwell, N., Locke, M.A., Pieralisi, B.K., Spencer, G.D., Crow, W., Krutz, J. 2025. Irrigation Expenses and Economic Returns of Conservation Tillage and Cover Crop Cropping Systems. Agronomy Journal. 117(2):e70034. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70034.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70034

Interpretive Summary: Profitability is a primary concern of producers when considering the implementation of conservation practices that save irrigation water. A three year study was conducted in Stoneville, MS to understand the economic sustainability of cover cropping and reduced tillage practices in cotton. Cover crops reduced irrigation costs, but overall net returns were lower. Reducing tillage using no seedbed tillage or strip-tillage practices consistently maintained net returns with less risk than conventional practices. These findings are encouraging for the adoption of no tillage practices, but reveal that more work needs to be done in regard to profitability in a cover cropped system.

Technical Abstract: Conservation cropping systems provide many ecosystem service benefits, but must improve or maintain profitability to be economically viable. This study was conducted to determine the sustainability of conservation tillage in continuous cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The effects of subsoil tillage, strip-tillage, no seedbed tillage, and cover crops on irrigation costs and overall profitability in comparison with a conventionally tilled control were investigated. The study was located near Stoneville, MS on a Dubbs silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Typic Hapludalfs) and a Bosket very fine sandy loam (fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Mollic Hapludalfs). The lowest costs ha-1 were realized when the no-seedbed-tillage with winter fallow treatment was used. Utilizing a cover crop reduced irrigation expenses by $18.29 ha-1 compared to the conventionally tilled control (P>F = 4.1×10-5). However, gross returns were reduced by $279 ha-1 where cover crops were sown (P>F = 0.043), and overall net returns were reduced by $497 ha-1 (P>F = 0.007). The strip-tillage and no-seedbed tillage systems with winter fallow reduced overall risk of production when compared to the conventional control and treatments with a cover crop. Adopting the no-seedbed-tillage with winter fallow system provided the best net returns by reducing expenses and lowering risk.