Restrictions on water availability, increased production costs and declining commodity prices require that growers be as efficient as possible. Conservation tillage offers the potential to reduce field operations and improve soil properties resulting in better soil moisture retention, but these benefits may be more difficult to achieve in a subtropical environment. Double cropping would provide greater returns on resources; and cool season cover crops would provide residues to improve soil physical properties and enhance nutrient status, but both use more water. A field study is being conducted in subtropical South Texas under furrow irrigation using a cotton / sorghum biannual rotation to compare conventional vs conservation tillage, and fall fallow vs double cropping vs cover crops. Conservation tillage has been found to reduce irrigation requirements 15 to 30% compared to conventional tillage, depending on rainfall, however, these water savings are used by fall double crops and cover crops. Organic matter content after 4 years while increasing overall, has not shown any differences due to the tillage or cropping systems. Tillage necessary to maintain raised beds for furrow irrigation may result in oxidation of crop residues. Cotton yields have been lower under conservation vs conventional tillage, but sorghum yields are the same under both tillage systems. Establishment of fall corn following cotton and fall soybeans following grain sorghum has been difficult in the surface residues during a period of very high temperatures. The primary benefit of conservation tillage thus far in this environment is reduced field operations since improvements in soil physical properties have been slow to build up and difficult to retain.