Incorporation of Cover Crops in Dryland Cotton during Extended Drought Conditions.

Exceptional drought has hindered the Texas Rolling Plains for much of the last 4 years.  These drought conditions coincided with the USDA-NRCS Soil Health Initiative, which promoted cover crops as a management tool to build soil health and enhance drought resiliency. As a result, many renewed questions surfaced on the efficacy of cover crops in semi-arid environments.  The objective of this research is to quantify the impact of cool-season cover crops in dryland cotton cropping systems on soil properties and subsequent lint yields.  Treatments evaluated include: 1) conventional tillage without a cover crop; 2) no-till without a cover crop; and no-till with cover crops consisting of 3) crimson clover; 4) Austrian winter field pea; 5) hairy vetch; 6) wheat, and 7) legume/grass cover crop mixture. Stored soil moisture was significantly lower for the cover crop mixture compared with all other treatments in 2013 and 2014. Austrian winter field pea and hairy vetch did not significantly reduce soil moisture compared to non-cover crop treatments. Although soil moisture was generally lower in cover crop treatments entering cotton planting season, subsequent cotton lint yields have not been significantly affected when comparing cover crop treatments and non-cover crop treatments.