Transactions of the ASAE · 1980 · 28 citations · 0 references
AgricultureAgricultural EngineeringAgronomyControlled Traffic FarmingCrop ProductionSoil ManagementAgricultural MachineryAgricultural Production SystemsAgricultural SystemsTillage EquipmentTillage ManagementTillage SystemsControlled Traffic Farming SystemsCotton PlantationsDeep TillageSandy Clay LoamSandy LoamSoil Deep TillageTillage Effects On YieldTraffic-induced Yield Reduction
ABSTRACT THIS paper describes a 6-yr study with the objective of developing equipment for a system for production of cotton in which all tractor wheel traffic would be restricted to traffic zones. The system consists of growing two rows of cotton, 1 m apart, on a bed or swath width of 2.5 m. All tractor-wheel traffic is restricted to the outside 25 cm of the bed. Equipment has been developed to accommodate a six-row basic produc-tion system. Test plots were established in 1972 and maintained through the 1977 crop to evaluate the equip-ment and production system. The 5-yr average yield from the controlled-traffic plots was significantly higher than the yield from conventional production plots. This pro-duction system offers the potential of significantly reduc-ing the amount of deep tillage required for cotton pro-duction in the sandy loam soils of the Mississippi Delta.