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- Title
Transition to conservation tillage evaluated in San Joaquin Valley cotton and tomato rotations.
- Authors
Mitchell, Jeffrey P.; Southard, Randal J.; Madden, Nicholas M.; Klonsky, Karen M.; Baker, Juliet B.; DeMoura, Richard L.; Howarth, William R.; Munk, Daniel S.; Wroble, Jonathan F.; Hembree, Kurt J.; Wallender, Wesley W.
- Abstract
We compared standard tillage (ST) and conservation tillage (CT) for tomato and cotton production systems, with winter cover crops (CC) and without (NO), in Five Points, Calif., from 1999 to 2003. Conservation tillage reduced tractor trips across the field by 50% for tomatoes and 40% for cotton compared to standard tillage. When averaged over the 2001 to 2003 period (when the conservation tillage systems were established), tomato yields in CTNO were 6 to 8 tons per acre higher than the other treatments. In cotton, the STNO cotton yields during this period were the highest of all treatments and were 276 pounds per acre higher than the CTNO system. In-field dust concentrations were also significantly reduced by conservation tillage. Our results suggest that conservation till- age may be a viable alternative for managing tomato and cotton crops in the San Joaquin Valley, but that fine- tuning of the systems is needed.
- Subjects
SAN Joaquin Valley (Calif.); CALIFORNIA; TILLAGE research; COTTON research; TOMATO research; CROPS; INTERNATIONAL trade
- Publication
California Agriculture, 2008, Vol 62, Issue 2, p74
- ISSN
0008-0845
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3733/ca.v062n02p74