Contemporary thinking encourages diversified cropping systems as a way to sustain crop yields, protect the environment, and increase wildlife habitat. This paper reviews the benefits of diversifying the traditional peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production system to include perennial grasses such as bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Fluegge) and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] and incorporating cattle (Bos taurus) into the system. Perennial grasses improve soil quality by reducing soil erosion and nitrate (NO3) leaching, increasing organic matter (OM) content, water infiltration rates, and the abundance and diversity of micro and macro flora and fauna. Cotton and peanut grown after perennial grasses are deeper rooted, have more vigorous growth, can better withstand pest pressure and environmental stresses, and often have higher yields. Including livestock in the cropping system makes more efficient use of climate and farm resources by extending the period of productive plant growth, improving economic returns, and reducing risk by diversifying the products available for sale.
Diverse cropping systems offer many advantages to farmers. We evaluated root growth, soil water infiltration, and earthworm population densities in a conventional peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)/cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) rotation using conservation tillage (CT), and a peanut/cotton/bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Fluegge) farming system. The rotations were initiated in 2000 in Quincy, FL, and in 2001 in Headland, AL, in both cases on a Dothan sandy loam (fine, loamy siliceous, thermic Plinthic Kandiudults). In 2003, a year with more uniform rainfall, cotton in the sod‐based rotation had larger average crown root diameter per plant (22.6 vs. 16.3 mm), root area (87.2 vs. 57.4 cm2), root length (640 vs. 460 cm), and root biomass (18.59 vs. 10.45 g) as compared with cotton in the peanut/cotton rotation. Water infiltration rates were higher in both cotton and peanut after bahiagrass compared with the conventional peanut/cotton rotation in 2003. Earthworm population densities were greater in the sod rotation compared with the traditional peanut/cotton cropping system. Water infiltration was positively correlated to earthworm population densities. Despite the improvements in soil quality, cotton yield in the sod rotation was the same as the traditional cropping systems. Cotton developed excessive vegetative growth in the bahiagrass system at the expense of lint yield. Further research is needed to determine the N rate for the sod‐based rotation in comparison with the conventional cotton/peanut rotation.
Yields for peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) have reached a plateau in the southeastern USA (SE). This, coupled with environmental concerns and increased production costs, prompt the need to find alternatives to the limited peanut/cotton rotation currently used. Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Fluegge) was introduced to the current peanut/cotton cropping system to evaluate its effect on peanut and cotton performance. Our objectives were to compare crop yields in a conventional rotation of cotton‐cotton‐peanut vs. a bahiagrass–bahiagrass–peanut–cotton rotation under irrigated and nonirrigated conditions. Field studies were conducted in Quincy, FL, on a Dothan sandy loam (fine, loamy siliceous, thermic Plinthic Kandiudults) from 2000 to 2004. During 2–3 yr of the study, peanut yields were 900 kg ha−1 greater (averaged across irrigation treatments) following 2 yr of bahiagrass compared with following 2 yr of cotton under both irrigated and nonirrigated conditions. Root biomass was greater for cotton in the bahiagrass rotation compared with cotton in the conventional rotation. The greater root biomass, however, resulted in rank growth and cotton in the bahiagrass rotation yielded the same as cotton in the conventional rotation. It appears potential exists for greater cotton yield in the bahiagrass rotation once effective management practices have been identified.
Root-knot nematodes (RKNs; Meloidogyne spp.) and Ralstonia solanacearum, the causal agent of bacterial wilt, are major soilborne pathogens in U.S. tomato production. Methyl bromide has been used for decades to effectively manage RKN but its phase-out and the high cost of other effective fumigants such as 1,3-dichloropropene has resulted in a need to develop sustainable alternatives. Many of the commercially popular varieties used by the tomato industry do not have resistance to RKNs and R. solanacearum. Recent studies worldwide have shown the potential for grafting using resistant rootstocks as a sustainable and ecofriendly practice for R. solanacearum management. However, the effectiveness of R. solanacearum-resistant rootstocks on RKN management is not known. In this study, three commercially available R. solanacearum-resistant tomato rootstocks (‘RST-04-106-T’, ‘BHN 998’, and ‘BHN 1054’) were evaluated for resistance to Meloidogyne incognita in field tomato production in four field trials conducted for two consecutive years in two geographical locations: Florida and Virginia. Grafting rootstocks onto ‘BHN 602’ a tomato scion susceptible to bacterial wilt and RKNs, significantly reduced root galling caused by RKNs in all four field trials and increased yield in two of the trials compared with the nongrafted treatment. This study demonstrates the potential of grafting for managing multiple soilborne pathogens using the same rootstocks.
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