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Flow and Transport in Shallow Subsurface Drainage Systems R. Cooke, P. Kalita Web Page Designer: Jeremiah E. Nehmelman |
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Summary One recent innovation in drainage technology is the use of shallow subsurface drainage systems. Improvements in drain installation equipment and the widespread availability of precision laser-leveling systems have made these shallow systems attractive to drainage contractors. Computer simulations have indicated that shallow systems are designed to produce yields that are comparable to conventional systems, there are significant reductions in the nitrate levels in drain effluent. These results, however, are from computer models, and there is still a need to perform field studies to verify them. This research project is designed to test the hypothesis that the use of shallow drainage systems on poorly drained soils in Illinois will reduce the concentration of nitrate in tile effluent without having an adverse effect on crop yield. It involves continuous monitoring, over three cropping seasons, of tile effluent from two pairs of fields, each pair consisting of a shallow drainage system and a conventional drainage system with similar soil, crop, size and climate. This pairing greatly reduces climatologic, soil, and management differences, major sources of external variability, thereby reducing the length of time required to draw conclusions from a study such as this that involves complex systems. This project is in line with C-FAR's emphasis on the prevention of environmental problems rather than their remediation in that it deals with the reduction of nitrate-nitrogen that leaves agricultural fields. |
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