Efficiency of Drainage Practices for Improving Water Quality in Lithuania

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvydas Povilaitis ◽  
Aurelija Rudzianskaite ◽  
Stefanija Miseviciene ◽  
Valerijus Gasiunas ◽  
Otilija Miseckaite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Tile Drainage ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Controlled Drainage ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Filter Materials ◽  
N Removal ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Abstract. Artificial drainage is a common agricultural practice in Lithuania. In this country, the total drained land area occupies 47% of the total land area and 87% of the agricultural land area. Therefore, this article presents recent research findings on agricultural drainage in Lithuania related to the practices designed to reduce nutrient, i.e., nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), losses from the soil via tile drainage and transport in open drains. Temporal changes in tile drainage flow over the last four decades are also discussed in this article. The results from experiments with controlled drainage practices in Lithuania showed promise. Compared to conventional drainage, controlled drainage reduced inorganic N by 42% to 77% and reduced total P by 34% to 72%. The reduced loads were the result of reduced drainage outflow. Moreover, research on the effects of additives in drainage trench backfills showed that woodchips, chopped straw, and lime additives mixed in the drainage trench backfill led to reductions in NO3-N concentrations of 78%, 69%, and 52%, respectively, in the drainage water. The addition of lime to drainage trench backfill reduced PO4-P concentrations in the drainage water by 39%, while woodchips and chopped straw increased the concentrations by 11% and 22%, respectively. It was determined that NO3-N in the drainage water was removed most effectively by woodchips and that PO4-P was removed most effectively by the addition of lime. The experiments with reactive filter materials used as in-ditch measures to remove phosphorus showed that the filter materials can be ranked as follows based on their P removal efficiencies: Polonite > slag > Filtralite-P > dolomite chips. Polonite had an advantage over the other tested materials due to its higher porosity, low sensitivity to clogging, and greater permeability. Laboratory-scale experiments using denitrification bioreactors filled with three types of woodchips (deciduous, coniferous, and mixed) showed no significant differences in NO3-N removal efficiency among the three materials. However, the tests showed that woodchip media are capable of achieving higher NO3-N removal rates due to higher flow rates. Therefore, better optimization and proper evaluation of the effects of hydraulic retention time are needed to improve the design of denitrifying woodchip bioreactors. Keywords: Agricultural drainage, Controlled drainage, Denitrifying bioreactors, Drainage trench backfills, In-ditch filters.

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

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Effect of Biochar Amendment in Woodchip Denitrifying Bioreactors for Nitrate and Phosphate Removal in Tile Drainage Flow

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 2883
Author(s):  
Rasa Vismontienė ◽  
Arvydas Povilaitis
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Tile Drainage ◽  
Phosphate Removal ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
N Removal ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
P Removal ◽  
Biochar Amendment

Biochar has received increased attention in environmental applications in recent years. Therefore, three pilot-scale denitrifying bioreactors, one filled with woodchips only and the other two enriched with 10% and 20% by volume of biochar from deciduous wood, were tested under field conditions for the removal of nitrate (NO3-N) and phosphate (PO4-P) from tile drainage water in Lithuania over a 3-year period. The experiment showed the possibility to improve NO3-N removal by incorporating 20% biochar into woodchips. Compared to the woodchips only and woodchips amended with 10% biochar, the NO3-N removal effect was particularly higher at temperatures below 10.0 °C. The results also revealed that woodchips alone can be a suitable medium for PO4-P removal, while the amendment of biochar to woodchips (regardless of 10% or 20%) can lead to large releases of PO4-P and other elements. Due to the potential adverse effects, the use of biochar in woodchip bioreactors has proven to be very limited and complicated. The experiment highlighted the need to determine the retention capacity of biochar for relevant substances depending on the feedstock and its physical and chemical properties before using it in denitrifying bioreactors.

Agricultural practices and diffuse nitrogen pollution in Denmark: empirical leaching and catchment models

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans E. Andersen ◽  
Brian Kronvang ◽  
Søren E. Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Animal Manure ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
N Loss ◽  
Total N ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
N Removal

An empirical leaching model was applied to data on agricultural practices at the field level within 6 small Danish agricultural catchments in order to document any changes in nitrogen (N) leaching from the root zone during the period 1989-96. The model calculations performed at normal climate revealed an average reduction in N-leaching that amounted to 30% in the loamy catchments and 9% in the sandy catchments. The reductions in N leaching could be ascribed to several improvements in agricultural practices during the study period: (i) regulations on livestock density; (ii) regulations on the utilisation of animal manure; (iii) regulations concerning application practices for manure. The average annual total N-loss from agricultural areas to surface water constituted only 54% of the annual average N leached from the root zone in the three loamy catchments and 17% in the three sandy catchments. Thus, subsurface N-removal processes are capable of removing large amounts of N leached from agricultural land. An empirical model for the annual diffuse N-loss to streams from small catchments is presented. The model predicts annual N-loss as a function of the average annual use of mineral fertiliser and manure in the catchment and the total annual runoff from the unsaturated zone.

scholarly journals Impact of Controlled Drainage and Subirrigation on Water Quality in the Red River Valley

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 308
Author(s):  
Kristen Almen ◽  
Xinhua Jia ◽  
Thomas DeSutter ◽  
Thomas Scherer ◽  
Minglian Lin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Red River ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Controlled Drainage ◽  
Red River Valley ◽  
The Impact

The potential impact of controlled drainage (CD), which limits drainage outflow, and subirrigation (SI), which provides supplemental water through drain tile, on surface water quality are not well known in the Red River Valley (RRV). In this study, water samples were collected and analyzed for chemical concentrations from a tile-drained field that also has controlled drainage and subirrigation modes in the RRV of southeastern North Dakota from 2012–2018. A decreasing trend in overall nutrient load loss was observed because of reduced drainage outflow, though some chemical concentrations were found to be above the recommended surface water quality standards in this region. For example, sulfate was recommended to be below 750 mg/L but was reported at a mean value of 1971 mg/L during spring free drainage. The chemical composition of the subirrigation water was shown to have an impact on drainage water and the soil, specifically on salinity-related parameters, and the impact varied between years. This variation largely depended on the amount of subirrigation applied, soil moisture, and soil properties. Overall, the results of this study show the benefits of controlled drainage on nutrient loss reduction from agricultural fields.

scholarly journals Flow velocity and nutrients affect CO2 emissions from agricultural drainage channels in the North China Plain

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peifang Leng ◽  
Fadong Li ◽  
Kun Du ◽  
Zhao Li ◽  
Congke Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Groundwater Irrigation ◽  
Drainage Channels

Abstract Background Groundwater is typically over-saturated in CO2 with respect to atmospheric equilibrium. Irrigation with groundwater is a common agricultural practice in many countries, but little is known about the fate of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in irrigation groundwater and its contribution to the CO2 emission inventory from land to the atmosphere. We performed a mesocosm experiment to study the fate of DIC entering agricultural drainage channels in the North China Plain. Specifically, we aimed to unravel the effect of flow velocity and nutrient on CO2 emissions. Results All treatments were emitting CO2. Approximately half of the DIC in the water was consumed by TOC production (1–16%), emitted to the atmosphere (14–20%), or precipitated as calcite (CaCO3) (14–20%). We found that DIC depletion was stimulated by nutrient addition, whereas more CO2 evasion occurred in the treatments without nutrients addition. On the other hand, about 50% of CO2 was emitted within the first 50 h under high flow velocity. Thus, in the short term, high nutrient levels may counteract CO2 emissions from drainage channels, whereas the final fate of the produced biomass (burial versus mineralization to CO2 or even CH4) determines the duration of the effect. Conclusion Our study reveals that both hydrology and biological processes affect CO2 emissions from groundwater irrigation channels. The estimated CO2 emission from total groundwater depletion in the North China Plain is up to 0.52 ± 0.07 Mt CO2 year−1. Thus, CO2 emissions from groundwater irrigation should be considered in regional CO2 budgets, especially given that groundwater depletion is expected to acceleration in the future.

scholarly journals Temperature Sensitivity and Composition of Nitrate-Reducing Microbiomes from a Full-Scale Woodchip Bioreactor Treating Agricultural Drainage Water

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1331
Author(s):  
Arnaud Jéglot ◽  
Sebastian Reinhold Sørensen ◽  
Kirk M. Schnorr ◽  
Finn Plauborg ◽  
Lars Elsgaard
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Response ◽  
Microbial Transformation ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Cold Adapted ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water ◽  
Temperature Responses

Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors (WBR), which aim to reduce nitrate (NO3−) pollution from agricultural drainage water, are less efficient when cold temperatures slow down the microbial transformation processes. Conducting bioaugmentation could potentially increase the NO3− removal efficiency during these specific periods. First, it is necessary to investigate denitrifying microbial populations in these facilities and understand their temperature responses. We hypothesized that seasonal changes and subsequent adaptations of microbial populations would allow for enrichment of cold-adapted denitrifying bacterial populations with potential use for bioaugmentation. Woodchip material was sampled from an operating WBR during spring, fall, and winter and used for enrichments of denitrifiers that were characterized by studies of metagenomics and temperature dependence of NO3− depletion. The successful enrichment of psychrotolerant denitrifiers was supported by the differences in temperature response, with the apparent domination of the phylum Proteobacteria and the genus Pseudomonas. The enrichments were found to have different microbiomes’ composition and they mainly differed with native woodchip microbiomes by a lower abundance of the genus Flavobacterium. Overall, the performance and composition of the enriched denitrifying population from the WBR microbiome indicated a potential for efficient NO3− removal at cold temperatures that could be stimulated by the addition of selected cold-adapted denitrifying bacteria.

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