Nitrate Leaching to Subsurface Drains as Affected by Drain Spacing and Changes in Crop Production System

Kladivko, E. J.; Frankenberger, Jane; Jaynes, Dan B.; Meek, D. W.; Jenkinson, Byron; Fausey, Norman R.

doi:10.2134/jeq2004.1803

Cited by 245 publications

(227 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…systems and extended cropping rotations. Environmental benefits such as decreased soil erosion [10,38] and decreased nitrate leaching [39][40][41] have been consistently demonstrated in cover crop studies. In general, leguminous cover crops provide the greatest potential for improving yields, but cereal crops generally result in higher levels of SOM, greater weed suppression, and more soil N immobilization, which can reduce nitrate leaching during winter months [42].…”

Section: The Significance Of Soil Health To Agroecosystems and Soil Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

et al. 2015

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Our objective is to provide an optimistic strategy for reversing soil degradation by increasing public and private research efforts to understand the role of soil biology, particularly microbiology, on the health of our world's soils. We begin by defining soil quality/soil health (which we consider to be interchangeable terms), characterizing healthy soil resources, and relating the significance of soil health to agroecosystems and their functions. We examine how soil biology influences soil health and how biological properties and processes contribute to sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services. We continue by examining what can be done to manipulate soil biology to: (i) increase nutrient availability for production of high yielding, high quality crops; (ii) protect crops from pests, pathogens, weeds; and (iii) manage other factors limiting production, provision of ecosystem services, and resilience to stresses like droughts. Next we look to the future by asking what needs to be known about soil biology that is not currently recognized or fully understood and how these needs could be addressed using emerging research tools. We conclude, based on our perceptions of how new knowledge regarding soil biology will help make agriculture more sustainable and productive, by recommending research emphases that should receive first priority through enhanced public and private research in order to reverse the trajectory toward global soil degradation.

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Section: The Significance Of Soil Health To Agroecosystems and Soil Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

et al. 2015

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“…Subsurface drainage is a common practice used in the Midwest Corn Belt of the USA (Randall et al, 1997;Fisher et al, 1999) and is believed to contributing to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico (Kladivko et al, 2004). Many field studies have been conducted under subsurface drainage conditions with various management practices to reduce N loss in subsurface drainage flow (Randall and Iragavarapu, 1995;Fisher et al, 1999;Huggins et al, 2001;Randall, 2002, 2004;Kladivko et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

RZWQM simulated effects of crop rotation, tillage, and controlled drainage on crop yield and nitrate-N loss in drain flow

Ma¹,

Malone²,

Heilman

et al. 2007

Geoderma

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Accurate simulation of agricultural management effects on N loss in tile drainage is vitally important for understanding hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. An experimental study was initiated in 1978 at Nashua, Iowa of the USA to study long-term effects of tillage, crop rotation, and N management practices on subsurface drainage flow and associated N losses. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) was applied to evaluate various management effects in several previous studies. In this study, the simulation results were further analyzed for management effects (tillage, crop rotation, and controlled drainage) on crop production and N loss in drain flow. RZWQM simulated the observed increase in N concentration in drain flow with increasing tillage intensity from NT (no-till) to RT (ridge till) to CP (chisel plow) and to MP (moldboard plow). It also adequately simulated tillage effects on yearly drain flow and yearly N loss in drain flow. However, the model failed to simulate lower corn and soybean yields under NT than under MP, CP, and RT. On the other hand, RZWQM adequately simulated lower yearly drain flow and lower flow-weighted N concentration in drain flow under CS (corn-soybean) and SC (soybean-corn) than under CC (continuous corn). The model adequately simulated higher corn yield under CS and SC than under CC. Applying the newly suggested N management practice for the Midwest of controlled drainage, the model simulated a 30% reduction in drain flow and a 29% decrease in N losses in drain flow under controlled drainage (CD) compared to free drainage (FD). With most of the simulations in reasonably close agreement with observations, we concluded that RZWQM is a promising tool for quantifying the relative effects of tillage, crop rotation, and controlled drainage on N loss in drainage flow. Further improvements on simulated management effects on crop yield and N mineralization are needed, however. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. AbstractAccurate simulation of agricultural management effects on N loss in tile drainage is vitally important for understanding hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. An experimental study was initiated in 1978 at Nashua, Iowa of the USA to study long-term effects of tillage, crop rotation, and N management practices on subsurface drainage flow and associated N losses. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) was applied to evaluate various management effects in several previous studies. In this study, the simulation results were further analyzed for management effects (tillage, crop rotation, and controlled drainage) on crop production and N loss in drain flow. RZWQM simulated the observed increase in N concentration in drain flow with increasing tillage intensity from NT (no-till) to RT (ridge till) to CP (chisel plow) and to MP (moldboard plow). It also adequately simulated tillage effects on yearly drain flow and yearly N loss in drain flow....

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“…On the other hand, although the amounts of fertilisers had greatly decreased during the last twenty years in the Czech Republic, no appropriate decrease of nitrates in waters has been observed (Lexa et al 2006). On the arable land (compared to meadows and forests), usually no crops are present for the whole year which may utilise nitrogen and other nutrients (Kvítek & Doležal 2003;Kladivko et al 2004). On ploughing the grassland, the soil organic matter decomposes more rapidly and the surplus nitrogen in it experiences accelerated mineralisation and nitrification (Svobodová 1981;Magid et al 1994).…”

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confidence: 99%

Assessing the stream water quality dynamics in connection with land use in agricultural catchments of different scales

Fučík¹,

Kvítek²,

Lexa³

et al. 2008

Soil & Water Res.

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The ecological status of many surface waters in the Czech Republic is poor, mainly due to still relatively high discharges of N substances especially from agriculture. High nitrate values in the streams situated particulary in basins of drinking water reservoirs invoke the neccesity for the precise detection of diffuse pollution areas to enable the setting of the appropriate land management strategies or relevant measures. We introduce a simple method for estimating the changes of nitrate concentrations in surface waters regarding the land use modification. Stream and drainage water nitrate concentrations in prevailingly agricultural catchments of three different scales located in the Crystalline complex of the Czech massif were included in this study. Water quality samples were collected through the years 1992–2006 at monthly and bi-monthly intervals. For the catchment land use analysis, the satellite images LANDSAT 7 (CORINE Land Cover) and digitised cadastre maps of the land register were processed using ESRI ArcMap GIS; both sources corrected by field survey. We demonstrate on three different basin – scale studies a strong relation between the arable land ratio within a catchment and the coherent stream water nitrate concentration. The results acquired from all the evaluated catchments showed that every 10% decrease of ploughed land proportion in a catchment lowers the nitrate concentration C90 value (90% probability of non-exceedance) in average by 6.38 mg/l.

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Nitrate Leaching to Subsurface Drains as Affected by Drain Spacing and Changes in Crop Production System

Cited by 245 publications

References 27 publications

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

Understanding and Enhancing Soil Biological Health: The Solution for Reversing Soil Degradation

RZWQM simulated effects of crop rotation, tillage, and controlled drainage on crop yield and nitrate-N loss in drain flow

Assessing the stream water quality dynamics in connection with land use in agricultural catchments of different scales

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