ABSTRACT
Soil quality factors affected most by tillage management included dry aggregate and water-stable aggregate size, soil bulk density, surface residue cover, random roughness, and distribution of organic carbon (OC). Alternatively, No-tillage (NT) management has the potential to improve soil quality by increasing soil OC relative to stubblemulch (SM) management and to improve surface water quality by greatly reducing erosion. Environmental impacts of adopting NT management on dryland compared with the impacts of the lower chemical input SM management appear to be minimal for the southern High Plains. NT management in a dryland winter wheat–sorghum-fallow grain production system in the southern Great Plains resulted in reduced infiltration and increased runoff due to soil crusting when compared to SM tillage on Pullman clay loam. SM and NT residue management systems were developed for the southern Great Plains to protect the soil from wind and water erosion, but they can also affect both soil and water quality.
