Winter fallow corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production systems are susceptible to erosion and agrochemical transport. This research determined the effects of Cover Crop Minimum Tillage (CCMT) on erosion and agrochemical transport from corn-soybean rotations at field scale, while assessing impacts to agroeconomics and irrigation in Mississippi’s Delta Region. CCMT did not affect total suspended solids (p = 0.53), total inorganic phosphorus (TIP) (p = 0.30), or total nitrogen (TN) (p = 0.25) loads, but did reduce TIP (p = 0.018), TN (p = 0.011), and nitrate-nitrite (p = 0.007) concentrations. An economic loss of $281/ha with no effect on yield (p = 0.09), irrigation use efficiency (p = 0.38), or consumptive water use (p = 0.83) was observed. CCMT will not improve profitability of corn-soybean rotations in the Delta and transitioning from fallowing to CCMT will have varying effects on erosion and agrochemical transport.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MSSTATE/oai:scholarsjunction.msstate.edu:td-1422 |
| Date | 25 November 2020 |
| Creators | Badon, Thomas Beauregard |
| Publisher | Scholars Junction |
| Source Sets | Mississippi State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
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