ABSTRACT:
Following a wet weather pattern since 1993 in the Red River
Valley (RRV), located in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota,
excess moisture in the farmland has become the most limiting factor for crop
production. Subsurface drainage (SSD), a
new technology for the RRV, has become a necessary and effective way to remove
water, lower the water table and reduce soil salinity. Due to concerns on water quality, especially
nitrate losses from the SSD flow, controlled drainage (CD) can be used to
reduce the total amount of drainage water and nitrate moving out of the
field. Subirrigation (SI), which adds
water to the field during high water demand period, can increase crop yield. In addition, the SI will use the ditch water
next to the field as the waster source so that the phosphorous and sediment
load in the surface water can be decreased through the field filtration
process. The dual CD and SI system is
new to the RRV region, the design used in this project is suitable for the flat
topography of the RRV region, and the day to day water management protocol is
innovative and has not been studied before.
Field experiment with four treatments, undrained (UD), free drainage,
CD, and CD+SI, will be conducted at Clay County, MN. Water balance components, such as rainfall,
irrigation, evapotranspiration, drainage, surface runoff, and soil moisture
changes will be measured. Water quality
will be monitored at upper and downstream of the ditch. Sugar beet, corn, and soybean yields will
also be estimated for each growing season.
During the project duration, field days, workshops, and evaluation will
be conducted annually to demonstrate the project progress. It is expected that more people will be able
to use CD and SI following the success of this project.
Below is an aeriel view of the research site located in Clay County, MN.
Below is an aeriel view of the research site located in Clay County, MN.
