Controlled Tile Drainage Research Articles

Simulating water content, crop yield and nitrate-N loss under free and controlled tile drainage with subsurface irrigation using the DSSAT model

Abstract In southwestern Ontario, rain-fed crop production frequently fails to achieve its yield potential because of growing-season droughts and/or uneven rainfall distribution. The objective of this study was to determine if the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) v4.5 model could adequately simulate corn and soybean yields, near-surface soil water contents, and cumulative nitrate-N losses associated with regular free tile drainage (TD) and controlled tile drainage with optional subsurface irrigation (CDS). The simulations were compared to observations collected between 2000 and 2004 from both TD and CDS field experiments on a Perth clay loam soil at the Essex Region Conservation Authority demonstration farm, Holiday Beach, Ontario, Canada. There was good model-data agreement for crop yields, near-surface (0–30 cm) soil water content and cumulative annual tile nitrate-N loss in both the calibration and validation years. For both TD and CDS, the CENTURY soil C/N model in DSSAT simulated water content and cumulative tile nitrate-N loss with normalized root mean square error (n-RMSE) values ranging from 9.9 to 14.8% and 17.8 to 25.2%, respectively. The CERES-Maize and CROPGRO-Soybean crop system models in the DSSAT simulated corn and soybean yields with n-RMSE values ranging from 4.3 to 14.0%. It was concluded that the DSSAT v4.5 model can be a useful tool for simulating near-surface soil water content, cumulative tile nitrate-N losses, and corn and soybean yields associated with CDS and TD water management systems.

Using vegetation indices from satellite remote sensing to assess corn and soybean response to controlled tile drainage

Abstract Controlled tile drainage (CTD) is a management practice designed to retain water and nutrients in the field for crop use. CTD has shown promise for improving water quality and augmenting crop yields but findings are often restricted to field and plot scales. Remote sensing is one of the alternatives to evaluate crop responsiveness to CTD at large spatial scales. This study compared normalized and green normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI and GNDVI) for corn ( Zea mays L.) and soybean ( Glycine max L.) among CTD and uncontrolled tile drainage (UCTD) fields in a ∼950 ha experimental watershed setting in Ontario, Canada from 2005 to 2008. The indices were derived from Landsat-5 and SPOT-4 satellite imagery. Log-transformed NDVI and GNDVI for soybean (R3–R6 growth stage) and corn (VT to R5–R6 growth stage) crops were higher significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) for CTD, relative to UCTD for 50% (soybean) and 72% (corn) of both the log-transformed NDVI and GNDVI image acquisitions compared; only 17% and 13% were significant ( p ≤ 0.05) in the reverse direction (UCTD > CTD). Log-transformed NDVI and GNDVI standard errors for CTD, relative to UCTD fields, were lower for 65% of the significant corn and 71% of the significant soybean NDVI and GNDVI comparisons for the growth stages noted above. This finding suggested overall more uniform crop growth for CTD fields relative to UCTD fields. Observed yields from a subset of commonly managed CTD and UCTD fields in the study area were not significantly different from each other ( p > 0.05) with respect to tile drainage management practice; however, 87% of these paired yield comparisons indicated that CTD mean corn/soybean grain yields were greater than or equal to those for UCTD. On average, CTD observed corn and soybean grain yields were 3% and 4%, respectively, greater than those from UCTD. From observed yield and NDVI and GNDVI observations, vegetation indices vs. yield linear regression models were developed to predict grain yields over a broader land base in the experimental watershed area. Here, predicted mean yields were 0.1–11% higher for CTD corn and −5% to 4% higher for CTD soybean, relative to UCTD crops; but results varied between manured and non-manured fertilizer practices. Eighty-nine percent of the standard deviations for these yield predictions were lower for CTD relative to UCTD. The results of this study indicate that at a minimum, CTD did not adversely impact corn and soybean grain yields over the time span and field environments of the study, and based on the weight of evidence presented here, CTD shows general promise for augmenting crop performance. Finally, remote sensing derived vegetation indices such as NDVI and GNDVI can be used to assess the impact of agricultural drainage management practices on crop response and production properties.

Managing Tile Drainage, Subirrigation, and Nitrogen Fertilization to Enhance Crop Yields and Reduce Nitrate Loss

Improving field-crop use of fertilizer nitrogen is essential for protecting water quality and increasing crop yields. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of controlled tile drainage (CD) and controlled tile drainage with subsurface irrigation (CDS) for mitigating off-field nitrate losses and enhancing crop yields. The CD and CDS systems were compared on a clay loam soil to traditional unrestricted tile drainage (UTD) under a corn (Zea Mays L.)-soybean (Glycine Max. (L.) Merr.) rotation at two nitrogen (N) fertilization rates (N1: 150 kg N ha(-1) applied to corn, no N applied to soybean; N2: 200 kg N ha(-1) applied to corn, 50 kg N ha(-1) applied to soybean). The N concentrations in tile flow events with the UTD treatment exceeded the provisional long-term aquatic life limit (LT-ALL) for freshwater (4.7 mg N L(-1)) 72% of the time at the N1 rate and 78% at the N2 rate, whereas only 24% of tile flow events at N1 and 40% at N2 exceeded the LT-ALL for the CDS treatment. Exceedances in N concentration for surface runoff and tile drainage were greater during the growing season than the non-growing season. At the N1 rate, CD and CDS reduced average annual N losses via tile drainage by 44 and 66%, respectively, relative to UTD. At the N2 rate, the average annual decreases in N loss were 31 and 68%, respectively. Crop yields from CDS were increased by an average of 2.8% relative to UTD at the N2 rate but were reduced by an average of 6.5% at the N1 rate. Hence, CD and CDS were effective for reducing average nitrate losses in tile drainage, but CDS increased average crop yields only when additional N fertilizer was applied.

An economically and ecologically sound manure treatment and application system

F uture operation of concentrated animal feeding operations will require improved waste management strategies following more stringent regulations currently proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, especially regarding odor and nutrient management. The Livestock and Urban Waste Research Team at Illinois State University has developed a systems approach for treating liquid swine manure and land applying the separated effluent that meets these criteria. The solid/liquid separation system removes 98+% of the settleable solids, 98+% of the total suspended solids, 50+% of the nitrogen (N), and 90+% of the phosphorous (P) from raw slurry, and changes the N:P ratio from 4:1 to 20:1. The cost for separation plus irrigation of the separated effluent is less than 1.0¢ per raw gallon of slurry, comparable to current costs for direct land injection of unprocessed slurry. The separated solids portion can be economically composted or hauled off-farm for land application. Center pivot or surface irrigation is low cost (0.1¢/gallon) but may or may not contribute to nonpoint source pollution. A revitalized concept, controlled tile drainage, has been modified by the Livestock and Urban Waste Research Team to function as a subsurface irrigation system for separated effluent. Subsurface irrigation may or may not contribute to nonpoint …