Cotton Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Department of Soil and Crop Sciences

AgriLife Research: Rotation, cover crops impact cotton yields more than tillage

1Jul

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Paul DeLaune, 940-552-9941 ext. 207, pdelaune@ag.tamu.edu

CHILLICOTHE – After eight years of research on no-till advantages and disadvantages with cotton crops, Dr. Paul DeLaune is convinced it’s not as much about the tillage as it is about the cover crop and/or rotation.

Dr. Paul DeLaune discusses cover crops at a recent field day on the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station south of Chillicothe. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)

DeLaune, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research environmental soil scientist in Vernon, said he has compared no-till, strip till and conventional till, as well as cotton with a terminated wheat crop in the Rolling Plains.

“What we’ve seen over eight years is you are really not changing carbon levels,” he said. “But we shouldn’t be looking at one thing only. Even though carbon levels aren’t changing, we’ve dramatically changed some soil physical properties.”

With cotton, DeLaune said there’s not much residue, so there is little change in infiltration rates between no-till and conventional till cotton.

“But we have seen a greater infiltration rate where we have a terminated wheat crop – doubled or tripled our infiltration rates,” he said.

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service program sometimes requires a multispecies cover crop to qualify for cost share programs, depending on the county, DeLaune said he has been experimenting with both single and mixed cover crops since 2011.

Hairy vetch cover crop on the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station south of Chillicothe. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)

The monocultures he has researched include Austrian winter field pea, hairy vetch, crimson clover and wheat, and the mixed species included rye, wheat, hairy vetch, turnips and radishes. Cover crops are planted at lower than full seeding rates, which may differ from information seen in other parts of the country, he said.

DeLaune said everyone knows cover crops aren’t free, as there is cost for the seed and use of soil moisture, but the benefits can potentially outweigh the costs over time.

Austrian Pea cover crop on the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station south of Chillicothe. (Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter)

“We have maintained our cotton yields. We have seen an increase in our soil nitrogen in the upper 6 inches, particularly following legume monospecies. We have seen a visible response to cotton behind those cover crops.”

He said his team measures neutron probes in all of the cover crop research plots every other week and he has compiled four years of moisture graphs.

“Yes cover crops use water,” DeLaune said. “But some people say cover crops make water. What they are talking about is increased infiltration. We pull soil moisture down by timing of cover crop termination in mid to late April, but if we get rains in May and plant in June, we get a much higher infiltration rate and by planting season, we are back to status quo.”

He said he likes to let the wheat form a head and stem before terminating it, adding that may use a little more water, but that’s what makes the residue, which is the key to protecting the soil surface, building root biomass and subsequently infiltration.

The ultimate goal with cover crops is to build soil structure and make it more functional, he said.

“With cotton on cotton, no-till alone is probably not going to cut it,” DeLaune said. “But we’ve done very well with just a wheat cover crop, that’s a $6 or $8 treatment per acre compared to the $20 to $25 per acre with a mix of some of these species.”

But cover crops alone are not the answer, he said.

“If you are doing continuous cotton, some type of cover crop would be good, but I would encourage a crop rotation,” DeLaune said. “I have data that shows a cotton-sorghum rotation can increase carbon more rapidly, increasing carbon levels in four years under the rotation, whereas we haven’t in eight years with cotton on cotton.”

Benefits and drawbacks of no-till discussed at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Field Tour

1Jul

At the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Field Crops Tour, Dr. Gaylon Morgan discussed the benefits and drawbacks of no-till and conservation tillage management versus conventional farming methods.

While No-Till farming is easy to describe, there is no set parameters to define conservation tillage. Many producers consider anything less than their conventional tilling practices to be conservation.

Morgan told the producers that Dr. Frank Hons, soil scientist and retired Texas A&M University professor, conducted a long-term tillage study where conservation tillage was considered a reduction of eight passes to four. This reduction in tillage equated to higher yields in cotton and sorghum.

“Any reduction to the number of passes you make is beneficial for saving soil moisture,” Morgan stated. “There is about one-half inch of water loss for every tillage pass across the field.”

According to USDA reports cited by Morgan, Texas lags behind in the adoption of conservation tillage, especially no-till. Approximately 70 percent of crop land in the southeast is under strip till or no till, while Texas is only 30 percent.

“Herbicide tolerant crops now allow us to use less tillage,” Morgan explained. “Herbicides provide a viable option for managing weeds without tillage. Conservation tillage, no-till in particular, is not as straight forward as conventional tillage, but it can save $4 to $12 dollars per acre.”

Morgan explained that there are many benefits to conservation tillage including lower overhead/equipment costs; lower labor costs; water savings; and an improvement to the quality of the soil. Under reduced tillage, the soil can hold more moisture, which leads to yield stability.

“One of the benefits that producers frequently mention is an improved quality of life,” Morgan said. “They are spending less time on the tractor and have more time to spend with family or other interests.”

Switching to more sustainable practices can also open up marketing opportunities, Morgan stated, as there are companies who commit to purchasing a certain percentage of their products from “sustainable” production operations.

On the down side, the soil benefits of changing to a conservation tillage program are often not realized for four to seven years as changes to the soil take time. Producers have to be flexible and able to adapt to the challenges of getting a good stand.

“You must start with the right equipment and adjust your equipment to the field conditions. You need to find a different way to fertilize to get the nutrients down into the soil where they are more accessible to the plants’ roots,” Morgan explained. “And you must have a good spray rig because all your weed control will be done by spraying.”

Morgan stressed that producers switching to reduced tillage must have the right frame of mind and be prepared to adapt to their field situations.

Once established, strip till or no-till management can produce yields that are generally more stable, comparable to conventional tillage and possibly even higher. He pointed out that Dr. Hon’s research reported a ten to fifteen percent yield benefit just by reducing from eight to four passes across the field.

“I have more of an occasional-till style,” Morgan said. “Once in a while you have to put a disc in the field to deal with eroded areas or to decrease compaction in the controlled traffic lanes, especially after the wet springs that have occurred the past two years.”

Students from Mexico are interned in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department this summer

20Jun

Left to right: Dr. Jinha Jun from TAMU-Corpus Christi School of Engineering and Computing Science, Cristina Dzul Vela and Rusel Aldance

Three students from the Mexican state of Yucatan are interned in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department this summer under the guidance of Dr. Steve Hague and Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan.

Pablo Rosete, Cristina Dzul Vela and Rusel Moo Aldance are part of the Yucatan Initiative, a program designed to encourage more students to pursue advanced degrees in the U.S., specifically at Texas A&M University.

Each of the students has already earned at least one degree. Cristina holds a Bachelor of Science in IT Management; Rusel holds a Bachelor of Science in IT; and Pablo has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a master’s degree in business which he earned at a university in Switzerland.

Each of the students had a different reason for choosing to intern with the Soil and Crop Department.

Cristine wants to help provide useful technologies in her home country.

Left to right: Rusel, Cristina, Dr. Jun and Dr. Murilo Maeda, Asst. Research Scientist of cropping systems in Corpus Cristi

“Agriculture technology is useful in every country,” stated Cristine. “I think interest in improving agriculture is growing in our country and I wanted to see what is happening in other countries.”

Rusel grew up on a bee farm and studied agriculture technology. In Guadalajara Jalisco he worked with a company that developed drones for Mexican farms.

“I want to do that in Yucatan,” Rusel said. “Farmers there don’t have the opportunity to use technology to improve their crops. I want to help do that.”

Pablo has more agriculture experience than the others. He and business partner Fredy Coral, an agriculture engineer, raise pigs and organic chickens. While his degrees are in business and marketing, he became involved with the technology industry when he created a foundation that helps provide tablets and laptops to children in rural communities.

“So many people have no idea how to use computers,” Pablo said. “I want to learn more about technology, to see if I have the skills required. I may want to teach, so I wanted to learn what my options are.”

“Texas A&M has a good reputation and I thought this internship would be a great opportunity to learn and improve my tech skills,” Pablo continued. “I am very glad to be here. I can’t describe how impressed I am with the A&M. I was shocked by the feeling you have here, the 12th man and the environment. I have studied in Utah and Wisconsin and the first time I really felt that college spirit was here at A&M.”

Left to right: Pablo Rosete, Cristina Dzul Vela and Rusel Moo Aldance

The Yucatan Initiative, established in 2015, was initially an agreement between the College of Engineering and a research consortium, SIIDETEY, in Yucatan. The primary objective is to provide students an opportunity to gain practical experience applying IT to a variety of fields

Originally focused on engineering applications, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences became involved this summer to expand the program into agriculture related fields.

Sponsors intend to introduce the students to IT applications in agriculture including unmanned aerial vehicles, remote sensing, computer modeling, geospatial analyses and more.

According to Cristina, the program is available to students with a background in IT or engineering. They are required to have a basic proficiency in the English language and a good GPA. When applying, the students are also required to write an essay.

These three students were sponsored by Cámara Nacional de la Industria Electrónica, de Telecomunicaciones y Tecnologías de la Información (The National Chamber of the Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology), CANIETI. This organization has more than a thousand affiliated companies in Mexico and, according to their website, serves to represent the interests of the industry at the highest levels of the government.

CANIETI’s main goal is to boost the growth and competitiveness of the Mexican electronics, telecommunications, and information technologies industry.

As one means of achieving this goal, they sponsor the students for the 11-week internship at TAMU where they assist with research, study for graduate entrance exams and strengthen their proficiency with the English language.

“There are 46 students taking part in the program, 25 from Yucatan and 21 from the other Mexican states,” Cristina said. “The Yucatan government is very supportive of this program.”

After completing the internship, the students plan to take the GRE and graduate school application process. They hope to begin working on the next degree by the fall of 2017.