Crimson Clover Cover Crop Effect on Cotton.

Cover crops influence soil physical and chemical properties and the diversity and populations of soil microorganisms. Although many studies have been conducted investigating the impact of cover crops on yield, less information is available on how cover crops influence young cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants. The objective was to determine how a crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) cover crop influences early season growth and nutrient accumulation in cotton. A two-year (2014-2015 and 2015-2016) study was conducted on plots managed with conventional or conservation tillage since 1978. Treatments in the study were tillage and winter cover crop. Cover crop treatment had no consistent effect on early season nutrient uptake. Phosphorus concentration was generally higher in young plants grown in conservation tillage which was consistent with the surface 10-cm of soil having higher plant available P₂O₅. Across years, neither cover crops nor tillage had a large influence on cotton biomass or leaf area index. Yield data were not collected in 2015 because of a historic precipitation event that occurred in early October of that year. In 2016, cotton lint yield following clover was lower than following fallow (P<0.05). Lower yield in 2016 with cover crops was not related to any early season measurements.