Cotton is highly tolerant to soil and water salinity (salt content) and because of this can be grown with water and soil resources that would be unsuitable for other food, feed, and fiber cropsⁱ. Cotton's high level of tolerance lets producers make use of drainage or reclaimed water that otherwise would require environmentally-challenging waste disposal.ⁱⁱ Furthermore, over the last ten years cotton has made great strides in reducing tillage and in adopting Winter/cover crops.ⁱⁱⁱ These conservation tillage practices dramatically reduce soil erosion, bringing it into balance with soil creation.^ivModern production practices allow cotton farmers to achieve high levels of soil protection and input efficiencies that both increase yield and reduce production cost. The economic benefits, coupled with mandatory regulations and requirements for compliance, are strong incentives for producers to take every practical measure possible to protect the soil.

ⁱHanson, B., S.R. Grattan, and A. Fulton. 1999. Agricultural salinity and drainage. Oakland: University of California Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources Publication 3375.; Ayers, R.S., and D.W. Westcot. 1985. Water quality for agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 29.

ⁱⁱGoyal S.S., S.K. Sharma, D.W. Rains, A. Lauchli. 1999. Long-term reuse of drainage water of varying salinities for crop irrigation in a cotton-safflower rotation system in the San Joaquin Valley of California: A nine year study: I. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Journal of Crop Production 2(2):181-213

ⁱⁱⁱBased on data collected by CTIC (Conservation Technology Information Center) in cooperation with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Local Conservation Partnership from 1990 to 2004.

^ivMontgomery DR (2007) Soil erosion and agricultural sustainability. PNAS 104:13268-13277