A simulation by Texas A&M scientists indicates that winter wheat is a feasible cover crop for cotton growers in the arid Plains, says geospatial hydrologist Srinivasulu Ale, one of the researchers. “We determined the wheat cover crop will not affect the soil water availability nor the yield for the succeeding cotton crop substantially under the simulated conditions.”
Previous studies have returned mixed results. The experiment, funded by Cotton Inc., an industry group that supports cotton research, considered winter wheat’s impact on water balances for irrigated and dryland cotton. Wheat was chosen because seed is easily available to farmers and the plant is hardy enough to withstand winter weather and can help prevent wind erosion.
Separately, Food Navigator reported that wheat researchers at the International Center for Research in the Dry Areas have developed a fast-maturing durum wheat variety that can withstand temperatures as high as 95 to 105 degrees F. The wheat could be grown in drought-prone Mauritania, Senegal, and Mali during the periods when other staple crops, particularly rice, cannot be grown.