Relating carbon and nitrogen transport from constructed farm drainage

Christopher S. Jones, Keith E. Schilling and Anthony Seeman

Agricultural Water Management, 2019, vol. 213, issue C, 12-23

Abstract: Fertility and crop production in soils of the recently-glaciated agricultural Midwestern U.S. link to soil inorganic and organic carbon, soil nitrogen and nitrogen inputs. Research relating transport of each to the others through the constructed drainage network to receiving streams is sparse. The main objective of this work was to quantify and characterize concentrations and yields of inorganic and organic carbon (IC and OC) along with nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) using a four-year dataset that included discharge from two managed drainage districts in the Cornbelt state of Iowa. Our analysis shows loss of carbon through these constructed drainage networks averages 124 kg ha−1 yr−1 with more than 90% of this total in carbonate form and only 7% in organic forms, a small amount relative to soil organic stores. Transport of NO3-N can total as much as 97 kg ha−1 yr−1. Although loads of IC, OC and NO3-N all vary similarly with discharge, NO3-N is especially transport-limited. Elevated OC concentrations in March are likely linked to recent manure application to soil surfaces, with concentrations returning to a consistent baseline thereafter. Concentrations of IC are lowest at high flows, indicating dilution by fresh water from recent hydrologic events into the drainage system which disproportionately mobilize NO3-N compared to IC. Although yields of IC and OC to the drainage system indicate tile drainage does not threaten to deplete soil organic matter stores, returning the system to a condition where carbon and nitrogen cycle together could improve stream water quality.

Keywords: Nitrate-nitrogen; Alkalinity; Inorganic carbon; Organic carbon; Tile; Soil drainage; Water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377418308515
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:213:y:2019:i:c:p:12-23

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2018.10.004

Access Statistics for this article

Agricultural Water Management is currently edited by B.E. Clothier, W. Dierickx, J. Oster and D. Wichelns

More articles in Agricultural Water Management from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().