Effects of furrow diking and tillage on water storage, plant water use efficiency and yield of sorghum

In water deficit areas, like the Texas Northern High Plains, cultural practices are needed to reduce runoff and capture rain water. Studies were conducted at Bushland, Texas, on Pullman clay loam (fine, mixed, thermic Torrertic Paleustoll) to improve water storage, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) water use efficiency, and grain yield. Treatments were conventional tillage plus furrow diking (FD), conventional tillage (CT), no-tillage with wheat Triticum aestivum residue maintained on the plots (NT+) and no-tillage with wheat residue removed (NT-). The FD and NT+ treatments were more effective than CT and NT treatments for improving precipitation storage by reducing and even preventing runoff and increasing infiltration. The more efficient use of soil water with the FD and NT+ treatments were reflected in greater sorghum grain yield. Average grain yield with the FD treatment was 4840 kg ha-1, which was about 800 kg ha-1 more than with the CT and NT-treatments. Grain yield with the NT+ treatment was 15 % greater than with the CT and 17% greater than with the NT-treatment.Dans les zones deficitaires en eau do sol comme les Hautes Plaines du Nord du Texas, les pratiques culturales sont necessaires pour reduire le ruissellement et retenir les eaux de pluie. Des etudes ont ete conduites a Bushland, Texas, sur un sol Pullman argileux-limoneux (fine, mixed, thermic Torrertic Paleustoll) pour ameliorer la teneur en eau du sol, l'utilisation efficace en eau du sorgho [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] et les rendements. Les traitements etaient le labour conventionel plus les billions cloisonnes (FD), le labour conventionel (CT), sans labour avec le maintien des residus du ble (Triticum aestivum) sur les parcelles (NT+), et sans labour et sans residus de ble (NT-). Les traitements FD et NT+ se sont montres plus efficaces que les traitements CT et NT pour l'amelioration du stockage des pluies en dimuant et meme en controlant le ruissellement et en ameliorant I 'infiltration. L 'utilisation la plus efficace en eau du sol avec les traitements FD et NT+ sest traduite par des rendements plus eleves du sorgho. Le rendement moyen en grain avec le traitement FD etait de 4840 kg par hectare, qui etait de 800 kg par hectare plus que le rendement des traitements CT et NT-. Le rendement grain du traitement NT+ etait 15 % superieur a celui du CT et 17% superieur acelui du traitement NT-