The study looked at how different farming methods affect the growth and yield of cotton in areas with little rain. They found that using conservation tillage methods like leaving crop residues on the surface or in the soil led to better cotton growth and higher yields compared to traditional tillage methods. Specifically, leaving crop residues on the surface or incorporating them into the soil resulted in significantly higher cotton weight and seed cotton yield. This suggests that conservation tillage practices can improve cotton production in rainfed areas.