| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
a USDA-ARS, Plant Stress and Water Conservation Lab., 3810 4th Street, Lubbock, TX 79415
b Dep. of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX 79409
* Corresponding author (vacostam{at}lbk.ars.usda.gov)
Continuous monoculture systems can reduce soil organic matter because of low organic inputs and disturbance from tillage practices. Integrated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) cropping and livestock production systems in West Texas may provide more sustainable alternatives to the traditional continuous cotton system and improve soil quality. Our study was conducted on a Pullman soil (Fine, mixed, thermic Torrertic Paleustolls) after 5 yr as a complete randomized block design (three replications) that compared continuous cotton and an integrated livestock-crop system with a perennial warm-season grass pasture (Bothriochloa bladhii) paddock and two paddocks (two stages) of a rotation (wheat [Triticum aestivum]-fallow-rye [Secale cereale]-cotton). Total N (average: 1.0 g kg–1 soil) remained similar among systems and soil pH was >8.1. Organic C was higher (13.5 g kg–1 soil) in perennial pasture compared with continuous cotton (9.0 g kg–1 soil) at 0 to 5 cm. A similar trend was found for the soil aggregate stability. Soil microbial biomass C (Cmic) was greater in perennial pasture (193 mg kg–1 soil) and the rotation under rye and cotton (237 mg kg–1 soil) compared with continuous cotton (124 mg kg–1 soil) at 0 to 5 cm, and in perennial pasture at 5 to 10 and 10 to 15 cm. Soil microbial biomass N (Nmic) showed similar trends. Soil enzyme activities were greater in perennial pasture and the rotation (under rye and cotton) than under continuous cotton at 0 to 5 cm. The integrated crop-livestock system had higher protozoa (20:4
6c = 1.98%) and fungi (18:39c = 1.30%) than continuous cotton (20:46c = 1.09%; 18:39c = 0.76%). These findings suggest positive differences in soil function and sustainability of the integrated crop–livestock system compared with continuous cotton.
Abbreviations: Cmic, microbial biomass C • FAME, fatty acids methyl esters • Nmic, microbial biomass N • PCA, principal component analysis • PN, p-nitrophenol
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  B. F. Tracy and Y. Zhang Soil Compaction, Corn Yield Response, and Soil Nutrient Pool Dynamics within an Integrated Crop-Livestock System in Illinois Crop Sci., May 1, 2008; 48(3): 1211 - 1218. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Philipp, V. G. Allen, R. J. Lascano, C. P. Brown, and D. B. Wester Production and Water Use Efficiency of Three Old World Bluestems Crop Sci., March 1, 2007; 47(2): 787 - 794. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. M. Sulc and B. F. Tracy Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems in the U.S. Corn Belt Agron. J., February 6, 2007; 99(2): 335 - 345. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
V. G. Allen, M. T. Baker, E. Segarra, and C. P. Brown Integrated Irrigated Crop-Livestock Systems in Dry Climates Agron. J., February 6, 2007; 99(2): 346 - 360. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 V. Acosta-Martinez and R. D. Harmel Soil Microbial Communities and Enzyme Activities under Various Poultry Litter Application Rates. J. Environ. Qual., July 1, 2006; 35(4): 1309 - 1318. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. W. Katsvairo, D. L. Wright, J. J. Marois, D. L. Hartzog, J. R. Rich, and P. J. Wiatrak Sod-Livestock Integration into the Peanut-Cotton Rotation: A Systems Farming Approach Agron. J., June 27, 2006; 98(4): 1156 - 1171. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Philipp, V. G. Allen, R. B. Mitchell, C. P. Brown, and D. B. Wester Forage Nutritive Value and Morphology of Three Old World Bluestems under a Range of Irrigation Levels Crop Sci., September 23, 2005; 45(6): 2258 - 2268. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
V. G. Allen, C. P. Brown, R. Kellison, E. Segarra, T. Wheeler, P. A. Dotray, J. C. Conkwright, C. J. Green, and V. Acosta-Martinez Integrating Cotton and Beef Production to Reduce Water Withdrawal from the Ogallala Aquifer in the Southern High Plains Agron. J., March 1, 2005; 97(2): 556 - 567. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| The SCI Journals | Agronomy Journal | Crop Science | |||
| Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education |
Vadose Zone Journal | ||||
| Journal of Plant Registrations | Journal of Environmental Quality |
The Plant Genome | |||
