Abstract
Soil health and productivity of cotton farming systems can be improved by better managing the soil carbon. In Australia, there is a lack of scientific data on carbon losses through soil erosion and runoff in irrigated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) farming systems. A field investigation was conducted near Narrabri, New South Wales, to determine the annual amounts of carbon and sediment enrichment and losses in irrigated cotton farming systems. The experimental treatments included cotton monoculture and cotton-wheat or corn rotations with maximum or minimum tillage. During the 201415 cotton crop (six irrigation events) runoff from the plots with and without corn during the previous season was 26% and 35% of applied irrigation water, respectively. Cotton growth and yield after corn was greater than that in the control plots and lower runoff in treatments sown after corn may be attributed to higher water use. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) enrichment by irrigation water ranged from 6 to 13 kg TOC/ha/irrigation with a cumulative total of 64 kg TOC/ha over six irrigation events. Sediment enrichment ranged from 19 to 149 kg/ha/irrigation with a cumulative gain of 585 kg/ha over six irrigation events. Cumulative TOC losses in irrigation induced runoff events ranged from 19 kg TOC/ha to 28 kg TOC/ha over six irrigations. Similarly, the sediment losses ranged from 93 to 243 kg/ha. The DOC (dissolved organic carbon) was of the order of 86 to 93% of TOC.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 13pp |
| Journal | 2nd Australian Cotton Research Conference 2015: Science securing cotton's future |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
| Event | 2nd Australian Cotton Research Conference 2015 - University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba Duration: 1 Jan 2015 → … |