Adoption of Conservation-Tillage Practices and Herbicide-Resistant Seed in Cotton Production

Abstract

Agricultural Resource Management Survey data for 2003 were used to estimate logit models for adoption of conservation-tillage practices and herbicide resistant/ stacked-gene cottonseed in the United States. The specification allowed for the possibility that adoption of one technology could influence adoption of the other. However, the null hypothesis that the technologies are adopted independently could not be rejected. The coefficient for herbicide-resistant cotton adoption was positive in the conservation-tillage adoption equation, but significant only at the 5.1% (10.2%) level in one- (two-) tailed tests. The coefficient for conservation- tillage adoption was positive in the herbicide-resistant seed adoption equation, but significant only at the 7% (14%) level in one- (two-) tailed tests. Prior adoption of no-till had a significant, positive impact on the conservation-tillage adoption. Compared to Delta states, Southern Plains and Western states were less likely to adopt either technology. Some practical limitations of analyzing complex survey data with limited research access are discussed.