TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of controlled drainage on corn yield under varying precipitation patterns
T2 - A synthesis of studies across the U.S. Midwest and Southeast
AU - Youssef, Mohamed A.
AU - Strock, Jeffrey
AU - Bagheri, Ehsan
AU - Reinhart, Benjamin D.
AU - Abendroth, Lori J.
AU - Chighladze, Giorgi
AU - Ghane, Ehsan
AU - Shedekar, Vinayak
AU - Norman, Norman R.
AU - Frankenberger, Jane R.
AU - Helmers, Matthew J.
AU - Dan, Dan B.
AU - Kladivko, Eileen
AU - Negm, Lamyaa
AU - Nelson, Kelly
AU - Pease, Lindsay
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2023/1/1
Y1 - 2023/1/1
N2 - Controlled drainage (CD) is a valuable management practice for reducing drainage volume and nutrient loss, but its impact on corn (Zea mays L.) production is not completely understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate the regional effect of CD on corn grain yield compared to free drainage (FD), investigate the factors influencing corn yield response to CD, provide management recommendations for optimizing corn yield under CD, and identify future research needs for corn production on poorly drained soils with subsurface drainage systems. This synthesis included data collected from 13 field sites where corn was planted under both FD and CD in six U.S. Midwestern states and North Carolina totaling 55 site-years of data from 2006 to 2017. On average, there was no statistically significant difference in corn grain yield between CD (10.62 Mg/ha) and FD (10.53 Mg ha−1). However, 42% of the dataset indicated that CD either increased or decreased corn yield by 4% or more compared to FD. Further analysis was conducted on this subset of data in order to evaluate underlying factors (i.e., weather conditions during the season, soil type, and drainage system design and management) influencing corn yield response to CD. Results of this analysis showed that CD was effective in alleviating plant stress caused by mild to moderate drought conditions and subsequently increased corn grain yield by 4–14% in 12 site-years. In contrast, CD reduced corn grain yield by 4–10% during wet growing seasons (6 site-years). Variability in growing season precipitation has been identified as a key factor influencing corn grain yield under CD, and more active management or CD system automation is recommended. General recommendations are provided for managing manually operated CD systems in the U.S. Midwest to improve growing season water management and corn yield. Additional research to develop technologically advanced water management systems for crop production on poorly drained soils is needed in order to adapt to changing weather patterns.
AB - Controlled drainage (CD) is a valuable management practice for reducing drainage volume and nutrient loss, but its impact on corn (Zea mays L.) production is not completely understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate the regional effect of CD on corn grain yield compared to free drainage (FD), investigate the factors influencing corn yield response to CD, provide management recommendations for optimizing corn yield under CD, and identify future research needs for corn production on poorly drained soils with subsurface drainage systems. This synthesis included data collected from 13 field sites where corn was planted under both FD and CD in six U.S. Midwestern states and North Carolina totaling 55 site-years of data from 2006 to 2017. On average, there was no statistically significant difference in corn grain yield between CD (10.62 Mg/ha) and FD (10.53 Mg ha−1). However, 42% of the dataset indicated that CD either increased or decreased corn yield by 4% or more compared to FD. Further analysis was conducted on this subset of data in order to evaluate underlying factors (i.e., weather conditions during the season, soil type, and drainage system design and management) influencing corn yield response to CD. Results of this analysis showed that CD was effective in alleviating plant stress caused by mild to moderate drought conditions and subsequently increased corn grain yield by 4–14% in 12 site-years. In contrast, CD reduced corn grain yield by 4–10% during wet growing seasons (6 site-years). Variability in growing season precipitation has been identified as a key factor influencing corn grain yield under CD, and more active management or CD system automation is recommended. General recommendations are provided for managing manually operated CD systems in the U.S. Midwest to improve growing season water management and corn yield. Additional research to develop technologically advanced water management systems for crop production on poorly drained soils is needed in order to adapt to changing weather patterns.
KW - Drainage water management
KW - Dry stress
KW - Precipitation deficit
KW - Precipitation excess
KW - Tile drainage
KW - Wet stress
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U2 - 10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107993
DO - 10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107993
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85141245572
SN - 0378-3774
VL - 275
JO - Agricultural Water Management
JF - Agricultural Water Management
M1 - 107993
ER -
