IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v258y2021ics0378377421003371.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Predicting the effect of drain depth on profitability and hydrology of subsurface drainage systems across the eastern USA

Author

Listed:
  • Ghane, Ehsan
  • Askar, Manal H.

Abstract

The choice of drain depth in subsurface drainage design affects system performance. Previous studies have focused on investigating the hydrology of shallow drains at discrete locations. However, to our knowledge, no study has investigated the profitability of shallow drains across a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. The main objective of this study was to comparatively evaluate the effects of 75-cm shallow drains versus 125-cm deep drains on profitability and hydrology of subsurface drainage systems across the eastern USA. We conducted DRAINMOD simulations under continuous corn production (Zea mays L.) using 30 years of weather data (1990–2019) for combinations of three factors: two drain depths, four soils, and seven locations. Simulations were optimized for crop production that maximized annual economic return on investment. The results showed that corn yield for shallow drains went from 1.6% increase to –1.3% decrease with increasing growing-season rainfall from northeast to southeast USA. Shallow drains provided the benefit of reduced year-to-year corn yield variability across the region. Corn yield for coarse-textured soil benefited more from shallow drains than fine-textured soil across the region. Even though shallow drains increased annual benefit from higher corn yield under certain soil and weather conditions, they were less profitable than deep drains (lower benefit-cost ratio and higher payback period). The benefit of drainage discharge reduction under shallow drains generally intensified with increasing annual precipitation from northeast to southeast USA. Results were used to develop an empirical equation for estimating the benefit of drainage discharge reduction with shallow drains in the eastern USA. In conclusion, even though shallow drains were less profitable than deep drains, they provide benefits that may be of interest to farmers and policymakers.

Suggested Citation

  • Ghane, Ehsan & Askar, Manal H., 2021. "Predicting the effect of drain depth on profitability and hydrology of subsurface drainage systems across the eastern USA," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:258:y:2021:i:c:s0378377421003371
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107072
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377421003371
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107072?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. van der Molen, W. H. & Wesseling, J., 1991. "A solution in closed form and a series solution to replace the tables for the thickness of the equivalent layer in Hooghoudt's drain spacing formula," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 1-16, January.
    2. Skaggs, R. Wayne & Youssef, M.A. & Chescheir, G.M., 2006. "Drainage design coefficients for eastern United States," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 86(1-2), pages 40-49, November.
    3. Schilling, Keith E. & Streeter, Matthew T. & Vogelgesang, Jason & Jones, Christopher S. & Seeman, Anthony, 2020. "Subsurface nutrient export from a cropped field to an agricultural stream: Implications for targeting edge-of-field practices," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    4. Goutam Konapala & Ashok K. Mishra & Yoshihide Wada & Michael E. Mann, 2020. "Climate change will affect global water availability through compounding changes in seasonal precipitation and evaporation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Luo, W. & Sands, G.R. & Youssef, M. & Strock, J.S. & Song, I. & Canelon, D., 2010. "Modeling the impact of alternative drainage practices in the northern Corn-belt with DRAINMOD-NII," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(3), pages 389-398, March.
    6. Youssef, Mohamed A. & Abdelbaki, Ahmed M. & Negm, Lamyaa M. & Skaggs, R.Wayne & Thorp, Kelly R. & Jaynes, Dan B., 2018. "DRAINMOD-simulated performance of controlled drainage across the U.S. Midwest," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 54-66.
    7. Mourtzinis, Spyridon & Andrade, José F. & Grassini, Patricio & Edreira, Juan I. Rattalino & Kandel, Hans & Naeve, Seth & Nelson, Kelly A. & Helmers, Matthew & Conley, Shawn P., 2021. "Assessing benefits of artificial drainage on soybean yield in the North Central US region," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    8. Singh, R. & Helmers, M.J. & Crumpton, W.G. & Lemke, D.W., 2007. "Predicting effects of drainage water management in Iowa's subsurface drained landscapes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(3), pages 162-170, September.
    9. Smedema, L. K., 1988. "Watertable control indices for drainage of agricultural land in humid climates," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(1-4), pages 69-77, August.
    10. Singh, R. & Helmers, M.J. & Qi, Zhiming, 2006. "Calibration and validation of DRAINMOD to design subsurface drainage systems for Iowa's tile landscapes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 221-232, October.
    11. Wang, X. & Mosley, C.T. & Frankenberger, J.R. & Kladivko, E.J., 2006. "Subsurface drain flow and crop yield predictions for different drain spacings using DRAINMOD," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 113-136, January.
    12. Ghane, Ehsan & Askar, Manal H. & Skaggs, R. Wayne, 2021. "Design drainage rates to optimize crop production for subsurface-drained fields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ghane, Ehsan & Dialameh, Babak & AbdalAal, Yousef & Ghane, Mohammad, 2022. "Knitted-sock geotextile envelopes increase drain inflow in subsurface drainage systems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    2. Rong Tang & Xiugui Wang & Xudong Han & Yihui Yan & Shuang Huang & Jiesheng Huang & Tao Shen & Youzhen Wang & Jia Liu, 2022. "Effects of Combined Main Ditch and Field Ditch Control Measures on Crop Yield and Drainage Discharge in the Northern Huaihe River Plain, Anhui Province, China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-25, August.
    3. Yasir Abduljaleel & Ahmed Awad & Nadhir Al-Ansari & Ali Salem & Abdelazim Negm & Mohamed Elsayed Gabr, 2023. "Assessment of Subsurface Drainage Strategies Using DRAINMOD Model for Sustainable Agriculture: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ghane, Ehsan & Askar, Manal H. & Skaggs, R. Wayne, 2021. "Design drainage rates to optimize crop production for subsurface-drained fields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    2. Negm, L.M. & Youssef, M.A. & Skaggs, R.W. & Chescheir, G.M. & Jones, J., 2014. "DRAINMOD–DSSAT model for simulating hydrology, soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, and crop growth for drained crop land," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 30-45.
    3. Xu Dou & Haibin Shi & Ruiping Li & Qingfeng Miao & Feng Tian & Dandan Yu & Liying Zhou & Bo Wang, 2021. "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," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, September.
    4. Feng Tian & Haibin Shi & Qingfeng Miao & Ruiping Li & Jie Duan & Xu Dou & Weiying Feng, 2023. "Soil Water and Salt Transport in Severe Saline–Alkali Soil after Ditching under Subsurface Pipe Drainage Conditions," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-20, November.
    5. Negm, L.M. & Youssef, M.A. & Chescheir, G.M. & Skaggs, R.W., 2016. "DRAINMOD-based tools for quantifying reductions in annual drainage flow and nitrate losses resulting from drainage water management on croplands in eastern North Carolina," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 86-100.
    6. Youssef, Mohamed A. & Liu, Yu & Chescheir, George M. & Skaggs, R. Wayne & Negm, Lamyaa M., 2021. "DRAINMOD modeling framework for simulating controlled drainage effect on lateral seepage from artificially drained fields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    7. Singh, Shailendra & Bhattarai, Rabin & Negm, Lamyaa M. & Youssef, Mohamed A. & Pittelkow, Cameron M., 2020. "Evaluation of nitrogen loss reduction strategies using DRAINMOD-DSSAT in east-central Illinois," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    8. Liang, Hao & Qi, Zhiming & Hu, Kelin & Li, Baoguo & Prasher, Shiv O., 2018. "Modelling subsurface drainage and nitrogen losses from artificially drained cropland using coupled DRAINMOD and WHCNS models," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 201-210.
    9. Turunen, M. & Warsta, L. & Paasonen-Kivekäs, M. & Nurminen, J. & Myllys, M. & Alakukku, L. & Äijö, H. & Puustinen, M. & Koivusalo, H., 2013. "Modeling water balance and effects of different subsurface drainage methods on water outflow components in a clayey agricultural field in boreal conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 135-148.
    10. Salazar, Osvaldo & Wesström, Ingrid & Joel, Abraham & Youssef, Mohamed A., 2013. "Application of an integrated framework for estimating nitrate loads from a coastal watershed in south-east Sweden," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 56-68.
    11. Dou, Xu & Shi, Haibin & Li, Ruiping & Miao, Qingfeng & Yan, Jianwen & Tian, Feng & Wang, Bo, 2022. "Simulation and evaluation of soil water and salt transport under controlled subsurface drainage using HYDRUS-2D model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    12. Ale, Srinivasulu & Gowda, Prasanna H. & Mulla, David J. & Moriasi, Daniel N. & Youssef, Mohamed A., 2013. "Comparison of the performances of DRAINMOD-NII and ADAPT models in simulating nitrate losses from subsurface drainage systems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 21-30.
    13. Revuelta-Acosta, J.D. & Flanagan, D.C. & Engel, B.A. & King, K.W., 2021. "Improvement of the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model for quantifying field scale subsurface drainage discharge," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    14. Shedekar, Vinayak S. & King, Kevin W. & Fausey, Norman R. & Islam, Khandakar R. & Soboyejo, Alfred B.O. & Kalcic, Margaret M. & Brown, Larry C., 2021. "Exploring the effectiveness of drainage water management on water budgets and nitrate loss using three evaluation approaches," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    15. Mariusz Sojka & Michał Kozłowski & Rafał Stasik & Michał Napierała & Barbara Kęsicka & Rafał Wróżyński & Joanna Jaskuła & Daniel Liberacki & Jerzy Bykowski, 2019. "Sustainable Water Management in Agriculture—The Impact of Drainage Water Management on Groundwater Table Dynamics and Subsurface Outflow," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-18, August.
    16. Askar, Manal H & Youssef, Mohamed A & Chescheir, George M & Negm, Lamyaa M & King, Kevin W & Hesterberg, Dean L & Amoozegar, Aziz & Skaggs, R. Wayne, 2020. "DRAINMOD Simulation of macropore flow at subsurface drained agricultural fields: Model modification and field testing," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    17. Gunn, Kpoti M. & Baule, William J. & Frankenberger, Jane R. & Gamble, Debra L. & Allred, Barry J. & Andresen, Jeff A. & Brown, Larry C., 2018. "Modeled climate change impacts on subirrigated maize relative yield in northwest Ohio," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 56-66.
    18. Malakshahi, Amir- Ashkan & Darzi- Naftchali, Abdullah & Mohseni, Behrooz, 2020. "Analyzing water table depth fluctuation response to evapotranspiration involving DRAINMOD model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    19. Ale, S. & Bowling, L.C. & Brouder, S.M. & Frankenberger, J.R. & Youssef, M.A., 2009. "Simulated effect of drainage water management operational strategy on hydrology and crop yield for Drummer soil in the Midwestern United States," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(4), pages 653-665, April.
    20. Moriasi, Daniel N. & Gowda, Prasanna H. & Arnold, Jeffrey G. & Mulla, David J. & Ale, Srinivasulu & Steiner, Jean L., 2013. "Modeling the impact of nitrogen fertilizer application and tile drain configuration on nitrate leaching using SWAT," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 36-43.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:258:y:2021:i:c:s0378377421003371. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.