Date of Award
1-23-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Agriculture, MSA
First Advisor
Tina Teague
Second Advisor
Michele Reba
Committee Members
Gerson Drescher; Nelson Benson
Abstract
Farmers in Arkansas irrigate more farmland than 47 other states in the U.S. Agricultural production is a vital contributor to the economy of the state; however, it also contributes heavily to water quantity and quality issues within the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico. Row-crop producers have adopted soil and water conservation practices to mitigate these effects, yet many farmers remain hesitant to adopt conservation methods due to uncertainties about their effects on yield and profits. This thesis evaluates the water quality impacts of conventional and conservation cotton tillage systems under irrigated and rainfed conditions. Runoff, plant development, and farm finances were monitored to assess system performance. Results show that conservation practices help keep nutrients and soil in the field, not in the water – and it does so without negative effects on yield or profit. This highlights how environmental sustainability, and profitability can work hand in hand.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Barker, Trenton Alexander, "Cotton Production in the Arkansas Delta - A Focus on Water Quality Impacts" (2026). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1155.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1155
