How do current recommendations on drainage depth and spacing influence nutrient loss, crop productivity and nutrient utilization?
Can drainage depth and spacing be optimized to minimize the nutrient losses and maximize crop production?
What is Drainage Water Management?
Dr. Laura Christianson, along with her colleagues from the University of Illinois, are exploring various options of drainage water management. “Drain only what is necessary for good trafficability and crop growth — and not a drop more?
What Effect does Nitrogen Placement have on Nutrient Uptake and Yield?
This study supports the premise that concentrating N fertilizer below ground near the crop row can increase grain yield and N removal.
How Much Nitrogen is Lost when no N is Applied?
In this study, plots that received no N fertilizer still lost a notable amount of nitrate-N through the subsurface drainage system.
Sharing knowledge, sharing research
It just takes a research meeting in San Antonio to bring the NREC-funded research to the forefront of the agronomy world.
How wide? How deep?
Understanding the influence of tile depth and spacing on nutrient loss – does depth or distance count for something? Research under way by Dr. Rabin Bhattarai from the University of Illinois leads a study investigating how tile depth and spacing variations impact nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) losses. The study evaluates current tile drainage design and assesses negative impacts on tile drainage and N and P losses. Click here to download a summary of his current research. How wide, how deep – Bhattarai
Cover cropping on a large scale
Using cover crops shows the potential to reduce nutrient loss, but most of this research has been done at the plot or field scale levels. This project explores whether the use of cover crops can effectively be scaled up to the watershed – not just a field – and whether the addition of cover crops alone, with no other changes in farm management, can improve surface water quality. An overview of Dr. O’Reilly’s research can be found here: Catherine O’Reilly
DNRA – what the heck is that?
Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium (DNRA) is also known as nitrate ammonification and is the result of anaerobic respiration. In this process microbes oxidize organic matter and use nitrate (rather
than oxygen) as an electron acceptor, reducing it to nitrite – then ammonium (as opposed to nitrogen gas – as in denitrification). Get a simple explanation to better understand how this can help farmers manage nutrients. Click her to download the flyer.