Simulated N management effects on corn yield and tile-drainage nitrate loss

Water table management systems can be designed to alleviate soil water excesses and deficits, as well as reduce nitrate leaching losses in tile discharge. With this in mind, a standard tile drainage (DR) system was compared over 8 years (1991 to 1999) to a controlled tile drainage/subirrigation (CDS) system on a low-slope (0.05 to 0.1%) Brookston clay loam soil (Typic Argiaquoll) in southwestern Ontario, Canada. In the CDS system, tile discharge was controlled to prevent excessive drainage, and water was pumped back up the tile lines (subirrigation) to replenish the crop root zone during water deficit periods. In the first phase of the study (1991 to 1994), continuous corn (Zea mays, L.) was grown with annual nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs as per local soil test recommendations. In the second phase (1995 to 1999), a soybean (Glycine max L., Merr.)-corn rotation was used with N fertilizer added only during the two corn years. In Phase 1 when continuous corn was grown, CDS reduced total tile discharge by 26% and total nitrate loss in tile discharge by 55%, compared to DR. In addition, the 4-year flow weighted mean (FWM) nitrate concentration in tile discharge exceeded the Canadian drinking water guideline (10 mg N l–1) under DR (11.4 mg N l–1), but not under CDS (7.0 mg N l–1). In Phase 2 during the soybean-corn rotation, CDS reduced total tile discharge by 38% and total nitrate loss in tile discharge by 66%, relative to DR. The 4-year FWM nitrate concentration during Phase 2 in tile discharge was below the drinking water guideline for both DR (7.3 mg N l–1) and CDS (4.0 mg N l–1). During both phases of the experiment, the CDS treatment caused only minor increases in nitrate loss in surface runoff relative to DR. Hence CDS decreased FWM nitrate concentrations, total drainage water loss, and total nitrate loss in tile discharge relative to DR. In addition, soybean-corn rotation reduced FWM nitrate concentrations and total nitrate loss in tile discharge relative to continuous corn. CDS and crop rotations with reduced N fertilizer inputs can thus improve the quality of tile discharge water substantially.

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Effect of controlled drainage and tillage on soil structure and tile drainage nitrate loss at the field scale

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1998.0593 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 38 (4-5) ◽

pp. 103-110 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

C. S. Tan ◽

C. F. Drury ◽

M. Soultani ◽

I. J. van Wesenbeeck ◽

H. Y. F. Ng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Structure ◽

Conservation Tillage ◽

Drainage System ◽

Conventional Tillage ◽

Drainage Water ◽

Tile Drainage ◽

No Tillage ◽

Controlled Drainage ◽

Nitrate Loss ◽

Free Drainage

Conservation tillage has become an attractive form of agricultural management practices for corn and soybean production on heavy textured soil in southern Ontario because of the potential for improving soil quality. A controlled drainage system combined with conservation tillage practices has also been reported to improve water quality. In Southwestern Ontario, field scale on farm demonstration sites were established in a paired watershed (no-tillage vs. conventional tillage) on clay loam soil to study the effect of tillage system on soil structure and water quality. The sites included controlled drainage and free drainage systems to monitor their effect on nitrate loss in the tile drainage water. Soil structure, organic matter content and water storage in the soil profile were improved with no-tillage (NT) compared to conventional tillage (CT). No-tillage also increased earthworm populations. No-tillage was found to have higher tile drainage volume and nitrate loss which were attributed to an increase in soil macropores from earthworm activity. The controlled drainage system (CD) reduced nitrate loss in tile drainage water by 14% on CT site and 25.5% on NT site compared to the corresponding free drainage system (DR) from May, 1995 to April 30, 1997. No-tillage farming practices are definitely enhanced by using a controlled drainage system for preventing excessive nitrate leaching through tile drainage. Average soybean yields for CT site were about 12 to 14% greater than the NT site in 1995 and 1996. However, drainage systems had very little effect on soybean yields in 1995 and 1996 due to extremely dry growing seasons.

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Response of the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test to liquid and composted dairy manure applications in a corn agroecosystem

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s05-048 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 86 (4) ◽

pp. 655-663 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

J H Klapwyk ◽

Q M Ketterings ◽

G S Godwin ◽

D. Wang

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Soil Nitrogen ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Amino Sugar ◽

Dairy Manure ◽

Corn Yield ◽

Potentially Mineralizable N ◽

Manure Amendments ◽

N Management ◽

Over Time

Dairy manure is important for corn (Zea mays L.) production in New York. Optimizing corn yield while minimizing environmental loss with manure nutrients is often a challenge. A potential tool for improving N management is the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT), which estimates amino sugar N, a pool of potentially mineralizable N for corn uptake. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the short-term effects of manure applications on ISNT-N, and (2) the longer-term impacts of annual additions of composted and liquid dairy manure on ISNT-N. A 6-wk incubation study showed that NH4-N from manure temporarily (< 2 wk) increased ISNT results. A 4-yr field study was conducted with annual spring applications of two rates of composted dairy manure (45 and 77 Mg ha-1) and two liquid dairy manure rates (63.5 and 180 kL ha-1). Results showed that ISNT-N slightly decreased over time in check plots (no manure or fertilizer additions) and that increases in ISNT-N over time in compost and liquid manure amended plots were consistent with changes in N credits currently given to manures in New York. Our results suggest that the ISNT accounts for N in previously applied compost and manure amendments, but that samples should not be taken within 2-wk following manure addition. Key words: Amino sugar, compost, Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test, nitrogen, manure, nutrient management

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Evaluating Nitrogen Management for Corn Production with Supplemental Irrigation on Sandy Soils of the Southeastern Coastal Plain Region of the U.S.

Transactions of the ASABE ◽

10.13031/trans13885 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 731-740

Author(s):

Dagbegnon Clement Sohoulande Djebou ◽

Liwang Ma ◽

Ariel A. Szogi ◽

Gilbert C. Sigua ◽

Kenneth C. Stone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coastal Plain ◽

Soil Variability ◽

N Leaching ◽

Corn Yield ◽

Soil Series ◽

Field Scale ◽

Corn Production ◽

N Application ◽

Supplemental Irrigation ◽

N Management

Highlights This study addressed the inclusion of field-scale soil variability in nitrogen (N) management for corn production. RZWQM2 was calibrated for corn yield and N dynamics on four sandy soil series under supplemental irrigation. Multi-year simulations of corn production under high and low N application rates were analyzed. Results showed room to reduce N use and N leaching without affecting corn production on Coastal Plain sandy soils. Abstract. Nitrogen (N) fertilization contributes significantly to maintain high yields in corn (Zea mays L.) production. In the Southeastern Coastal Plain of the U.S. where soils are sandy with poor water and nutrient holding capacity, a fraction of the N applied to corn fields is often leached from the root zone and becomes unavailable to plants. As these soils belong to various taxonomic classes, research has shown significant corn yield differences among soil series. However, few studies have focused on integrating field-scale soil variability, N leaching, and corn production. To address this knowledge gap, this study used the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) to simulate different N management scenarios in corn production for four sandy soil series under supplemental irrigation. The calibrated model was used to simulate nine consecutive years of corn production under four N management scenarios, including two high rates of N application (rate A = 224 kg N ha-1 with 25 kg N ha-1 at preplant; rate A' = 224 kg N ha-1 without preplant N), and two low rates of N application (rate B = 157 kg N ha-1 with 25 kg N ha-1 at preplant; rate B' = 157 kg N ha-1 without preplant N). Simulation results showed that without preplant N application, N leaching was reduced by up to 17% with no significant impact on corn yield, depending on the soil series. Hence, consideration of field-scale soil variability could help improve N management by reducing N use and N leaching without impacting corn production. Keywords: Corn yield components, Growing season, Modeling, Nitrogen dynamics, RZWQM2, Soil variability.

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