Cover crop technology can potentially benefit monoculture wheat systems in the semi-arid US Southern Great Plains, but the biggest hurdle in such regions where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation is soil water. Cover crop impact on soil water use and availability is a major cause for concern in water-limited environments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of cover crops, grazing, and intercrops on soil water dynamics under rainfed conditions. Seven treatments were evaluated, including conventional tillage (CT) and combinations of no-tillage (NT) with a cover crop mixture, grazed cover crops, and/or cash crop intercropping. The three-year study was conducted on a long-term NT continuous wheat system in the Texas Rolling Plains. Despite dry periods, the cover crop mixture produced 2141 to 3503 kg ha⁻¹ dry herbage mass. Stored soil water was significantly lower within 60 days after planting for cover crop compared to no cover crop treatments. Stored soil water was 22–26% lower in cover crop plots at time of termination. In the final two years of the study, the positive change in stored soil water from cover crop termination to wheat planting was two to four times greater for cover crop treatments compared to non-cover crop treatments. The greater infiltration and water capture after termination has the potential to make up for the loss in soil water that cover crops used.

覆盖作物技术可能会使美国半干旱的美国南部大平原的单作小麦系统受益，但在蒸散量超过降水量的地区，最大的障碍是土壤水分。覆盖作物对土壤水分利用和可用性的影响是在缺水环境中引起关注的主要原因。这项研究的目的是评估雨养条件下的覆盖作物，放牧和间作对土壤水分动态的影响。评价了7种处理方法，包括常规耕作（CT）和免耕（NT）与覆盖作物混合物，放牧的覆盖作物和/或经济作物间作的组合。这项为期三年的研究是在德克萨斯州滚动平原的长期NT连续小麦系统上进行的。尽管干旱，覆盖作物混合物的产量为2141至3503千克公顷^-1干牧草质量。与没有覆盖作物的处理相比，种植覆盖作物的植物在60天内储存的土壤水显着降低。终止种植时，覆盖地中的土壤水存储量降低了22–26％。在研究的最后两年中，与非覆盖作物处理相比，从覆盖作物终止到小麦种植的存储土壤水的积极变化是覆盖作物处理的2到4倍。终止后更多的渗透和水的捕获有潜力弥补覆盖所用农作物的土壤水的损失。