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DIVISION S-6-SOIL & WATER MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION

Water Table Management, Nitrogen Dynamics, and Yields of Corn and Soybean

^a Soil Ecology Lab., The Ohio State Univ., 1735 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 USA
^b USDA–ARS, Soil Drainage Research Unit, 590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, OH 43210 USA
^c Dep. of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 590 Woody Hayes Dr., The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH 43210 USA
^d Piketon Research and Extension Center, The Ohio State Univ., 1864 Shyville Rd., Piketon, OH 45661 USA

fausey.1{at}osu.edu

Concern about NO^-₃ contamination of surface waters has prompted the development of agricultural water table management systems to reduce NO^-₃ loss in subsurface drainage outflow by subirrigating through the existing subsurface drainage lines during the growing season and controlling off-season outflows. We hypothesized that soil N pools, crop yields, and N uptake in a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max.) rotation differ between subirrigation (water table at 40 cm) with controlled drainage (SI/CD) vs. subsurface drainage (SD) alone on Omulga silt loam (Aeric Fragiaqualfs). Mean microbial biomass N, potentially mineralizable N, dissolved organic N, and ammonia N were not affected by the water table management system. Mean NO^-₃–N was not affected by the water table management system at 0- to 15-cm and 15- to 30-cm depths, but the 2-yr mean soil NO^-₃ concentration at the 30- to 75-cm depth was 46% lower in SI/CD compared with SD. The average corn yield was 19% greater, and the average soybean yield was 64% greater, in SI/CD plots, compared with SD. Corn N uptake was 13% greater and soybean N uptake was 62% greater with SI/CD, compared with SD. The SI/CD water table management system increased plant N uptake and reduced deep-profile NO^-₃ concentrations, thereby reducing the amount of NO^-₃ potentially available to move via drains to surface waters.

Abbreviations: C/N, carbon/nitrogen • DHA, dehydrogenase enzyme activity • DON, dissolved organic nitrogen • MBN, microbial biomass nitrogen • PMN, potentially mineralizable nitrogen • SD, subsurface drainage WTM • SI/CD, subirrigation/controlled drainage WTM • WTM, water table management

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