TITLE:
Cotton Production Systems for Soil and Energy Conservation in Coastal Plain Soils
AUTHORS:
Ahmad Khalilian, Michael W. Marshall, Phillip B. Williams, Jeremy K. Greene, Paul M. Porter
KEYWORDS:
Cotton, Relay Cropping, Pest Management, Energy Requirements, Controlled Traffic, Interseeding
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.9 No.7,
June
26,
2018
ABSTRACT: Cotton
growers in the southern USA are facing new production problems that are
reducing farm profits and sustainability: 1) herbicide-resistant weeds are
spreading throughout the Southeast, 2) thrips are consistently ranked as an important
insect pest group Beltwide, 3) the most effective tool for managing nematodes
and thrips (aldicarb) currently is only available in the southeastern USA in
limited amounts, and 4) fuel costs have increased significantly over the last
ten years. An interseeding system was developed at Clemson University that
allows planting of cotton into standing wheat, about 2 - 3 weeks
before wheat harvest. This system, which combines benefits of crop residue and
minimum tillage operations, has the potential to alleviate many of the
production problems cited above, while enhancing farm profits and soil
properties. Crop residue associated with the interseeding production system
reduced weed populations and required significantly less herbicide inputs
compared with the conventional system. Columbia lance nematodes populations
were reduced in the interseeding system by 83% without an application of
nematicide. Populations of thrips were reduced by 74% in the interseeding
production system. No differences were observed between the yields from
interseeded and the conventional full-season cotton. However, revenues from the
interseeding system were higher due to harvest of the wheat crop. In addition,
the interseeding system consumed 35% less fuel than the conventional production
systems.