Controlled drainage under two climate change scenarios in a flat high-latitude field

This simulation study focused on the hydrological effects of climate change and controlled drainage operated with subsurface drains and an open collector ditch in an agricultural field. The objective was to understand the potential of controlled drainage and open ditch schemes for managing groundwater levels and field water balance in climate conditions projected to take place in Finland during the 21st century with representative concentration pathways 8.5 and 2.6. A methodological aim was to find ways to condense hourly hydrological results to understand future changes in field hydrology. During the historical reference interval (1970–2005), controlled drainage caused 17–36 cm higher mean groundwater levels and decreased the mean annual drain discharge by 11–23% compared to conventional subsurface drainage. Controlled drainage was projected to increase groundwater levels by additional 1–4 cm in the future compared to its effect on drainage during the reference interval. The effect on annual drain discharge did not change significantly. The open collector ditch lowered groundwater tables and diminished the effect of controlled drainage on groundwater levels in the vicinity of the ditch. Controlled drainage was shown to remain an effective method for countering early summer drought and reducing drain discharge.

Seasonal effects of controlled drainage on field water balance and groundwater levels

Adaptive water management solutions such as controlled drainage have raised interest in Nordic areas due to climate variability. It is not fully known how controlled drainage affects seasonal field water balance or can help in preventing water scarcity during dry growing seasons (GSs). The objective was to simulate the effects of controlled drainage on field hydrology using a well-tested, process-based hydrological model. The FLUSH model was calibrated and validated to an experimental field. The model performance with non-local input data was moderate but acceptable for running the controlled drainage scenarios to test the response of the water management method to meteorological forcing. Simulation results showed that controlled drainage reduced drain discharge while increasing surface layer runoff and shallow groundwater outflow. Groundwater depths from the scenario simulations demonstrated that controlled drainage could keep the depth closer to the soil surface, but the effect diminished during the dry conditions. Controlled drainage can be used to change the water flow pathways but has a secondary effect compared with the primary meteorological drivers. The field data set and FLUSH formed a novel computational platform to study the impacts of different water management options on the whole water balance and spatial variability of groundwater depths.

Effects of Controlled Drainage on the Content Change and Migration of Moisture, Nutrients, and Salts in Soil and the Yield of Oilseed Sunflower in the Hetao Irrigation District

Controlled drainage (CD) is an important agricultural measure for maintaining soil moisture and nutrients, controlling groundwater level, and increasing crop yield. In arid regions, CD can be used to improve the water supply in agriculture and reduce environmental pollution. In this study, we investigated the effects of CD, including drainage depths of 40 cm (CWT1) and 70 cm (CWT2) during the plant growth stages, free drainage (FD), and open-ditch drainage (OD), on the migration of water, nutrients, and salts in the soil, the dynamics of the groundwater level, the loss of soil nitrogen, and the growth of oilseed sunflower plants. Compared with FD, CD increased the water and nutrient content in the soil, reduced nitrogen loss, and enhanced the ability of the soil to continuously supply nitrogen to the oilseed sunflower plants, which benefited plant growth at later growth stages and reduced environmental pollution. During the period between irrigation at the budding stage and the harvest stage, the average soil water content in the 0–20 cm soil layer in CWT1 increased by 3.67%, 4.78%, and 0.55%, respectively, compared with that in CWT2, FD, and OD. The soil mineral content in CWT1 was 25.17%, 35.05%, and 17.78% higher than that in CWT2, FD, and OD, respectively, indicating that higher soil salinity occurred at the later stage of plant growth in CWT1, which actually had little effect on the plants due to their enhanced salt tolerance and increased need for water and nutrients at that stage. In addition, CD delayed the decline in groundwater level, which allowed the plants to use groundwater at later growth stages, and as a result, the yield and water-use efficiency were improved. CWT1 significantly increased oilseed sunflower yield by 4.52–11.14% and increased water-use efficiency by 1.16–10.8%. Moreover, CWT1 also increased the survival rate of the oilseed sunflower plants by 2.62–2.92%, and the plants demonstrated good growth. Therefore, under CD conditions, plants used soil water and nitrogen more efficiently and, as a result, their productivity was increased, and the water quality was improved.

Effect of Controlled Drainage on the Migration of Water, Nutrients, and Salts in Soil and the Yield of Oilseed Sunflower in Hetao Irrigation District

Controlled drainage (CD) is an important agricultural measure for maintaining soil moisture and nutrients, controlling groundwater level, and increasing crop yield. In arid regions, CD can be used to improve the water supply in agriculture and reduce environmental pollution. In this study, we investigated the effect of CD, including a drainage depth of 40 cm (CWT1) and 70 cm (CWT2) during the plant growth period, free drainage (FD), and open ditch drainage (OD) on the migration of water, nutrients, and salts in the soil; the dynamics of groundwater level; the loss of soil nitrogen; and the growth of oilseed sunflower plants. Compared with FD, CD increased the water and nutrient content in the soil, reduced nitrogen loss, and enhanced the ability of the soil to continuously supply nitrogen to the oilseed sunflower plants, which benefited plant growth at later growth stages and reduced environmental pollution. During the period between irrigation at the budding stage and harvest stage, the average soil water content in the 0–20 cm soil layer in CWT1 increased by 3.67%, 4.78%, and 0.55%, respectively, compared with that in CWT2, FD, and OD. The soil mineral content in CWT1 was 25.17%, 35.05%, and 17.78% higher than that in CWT2, FD, and OD, respectively, indicating that higher soil salinity occurred at the later stage of plant growth in CWT1, which actually had little effect on the plants due to their enhanced salt tolerance and increased need for water and nutrients at that stage. In addition, CD delayed the decline in groundwater level, which allowed the plants to use groundwater at later growth stages, and as a result the yield and water use efficiency were improved. CWT1 significantly increased oilseed sunflower yield by 4.52–11.14% and increased water use efficiency by 1.16–10.8%. Moreover, CWT1 also increased the survival rate of the oilseed sunflower plants by 2.62–2.92%, and the plants demonstrated good growth. Therefore, under CD conditions, plants used soil water and nitrogen more efficiently and, as a result, their productivity was increased, and the water quality was improved.

Implementation of an Automated Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage System for Early Mobilization in Neurosurgical Patients

Background: Automated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage systems allow for the mobilization of patients with an external CSF drain. The aim of this study is to describe the implementation of an automated CSF drainage system in neurosurgical patients with external CSF drains. Methods: A feasibility study was performed using an automated CSF drainage system (LiquoGuard®7, Möller Medical GmbH, Fulda, Germany) in adult neurosurgical patients treated with external lumbar or external ventricular drains between December 2017 and June 2020. Limited mobilization was allowed—patients were allowed to adjust their inclined beds, sit in chairs and walk under the supervision of a nurse or physical therapist. The primary outcome was the number of prematurely terminated drainage sessions. Results: Twenty-three patients were included. Drainage was terminated prematurely in eight (35%) patients. In three (13%) of these patients, drainage was terminated due to signs of hydrocephalus. Pressure-controlled drainage in patients with external lumbar drains (ELD) showed inaccurate pressure curves, which was solved by using volume-controlled drainage in ELD patients. Conclusion: The implementation of an automated CSF drainage system (LiquoGuard®7) for CSF drainage allows for early mobilization in a subset of patients with external CSF drains. External lumbar drains require volume-based drainage rather than differential pressure-dependent drainage.

The role of Controlled and Mole Drainage in Relation to Water Saving, Salt Accumulation on Sugar Beet Yield and Quality in North Nile Delta, Egypt

Two field experiments were conducted at Sidi Salem region, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, during two winter seasons 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 to study the impact of controlled drainage at 0.5, 0.75, 1.25 m and mole drain spacing 2 m on soil salinity, water-saving and sugar beet productivity. Results obtained that using controlled drainage saved irrigation water 24.56 and 11.35% in 1st season and 23.73 and 15.08% in 2nd season for 50, 75 cm depth of water table respectively, compared to 125 cm depth of water table. Application of mole drains seems to be more effective in decreasing soil salinity and sodicity especially, in the topsoil (0-60 cm) and narrow spacing between the plowed lines (2 m).Data showed that the water table level at 0.5 and 0.75 m treatments rose more rapidly and remained higher for longer time than the uncontrolled drainage treatment, the average water table depth was above specified depths between irrigation intervals from 3-7 days depending on the depth. There was a marked variation between the treatments that controlled drainage increased the yield at 0.50 m water table depth by 39 and 30% for both seasons, respectively. It can be concluded that the treatment of controlled drainage may give more profit than the uncontrolled one. At the same time, the contents of K+, Na+, alpha- amino N and alkalinity in root beet were insignificantly affected by controlled subsurface drainage in both seasons.