
NCERA217: Drainage design and management practices to improve water quality
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Active
SAES-422 Reports
07/01/2025
Peer Reviewed Research Publications
Askar, M.A., E. Ghane, M.A. Youssef, V.S. Shedekar, K.W. King, R. Bhattarai. 2024. Feasibility of predicting subsurface drainage discharge with DRAINMOD parameterized by uncalibrated SURRGO soil properties and ROSETTA3. Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Ecosystems. 22, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.13031/jnrae.15735
Baird, A., Frankenberger, J., Bowling, L. and Kladivko, E., 2024. Impact of controlled drainage on crop yield including within-field variability. Journal of the ASABE, Vol. 67(3): 717-727. https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15520.
Bailon, APSB, Margenot, A., Cooke, RAC., and Chirstianson, LE. 2024. Denitrifying bioreactors and dissolved phosphorus: Net source or sink? Journal of Environmental Quality. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20568
Baum M.E., Sawyer J.E., Nafziger E.D., Castellano M.J., Mcdaniel M.D., Licht M.A., Hayes D.J., Helmers M.J., Archontoulis S.V. (2025) The optimum nitrogen fertilizer rate for maize in the US Midwest is increasing. Nature Communications 16. DOI: ARTN 404 10.1038/s41467-024-55314-7.
Book, RS, J Frankenberger, LE Christianson, LR Prasad, Y Yuan. 2024. Effectiveness Overview of Agricultural Conservation Practices for Water Quality Improvement Part II. Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Systems. 2(3): 129-137. https://doi.org/10.13031/jnrae.15804.
Brunton, AM., Zilles, JL., Cooke, RA., and Christianson, LE. 2024. Nitrous oxide and methane production and consumption at five full-size denitrifying bioreactors treating subsurface drainage water. Science of the Total Environment, 919 (2024) 170956. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170956
Diaz-Garcia, C., and Christianson, LE. 2024. Batch-mode denitrifying woodchip bioreactors for expanded treatment flexibility. Water. 16 (2) 206. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020206
Drury C.F., Agomoh I.V., Yang X.M., Phillips L.A., Reynolds W.D., Helmers M.J., Calder W., Hedge T. (2024) Stacking nitrogen management practices: Combining double-slot fertilizer injection with urease and nitrification inhibitors improves yields and reduces ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions. Soil Science Society of America Journal. DOI: 10.1002/saj2.20677.
Frankenberger, J., McMillan, S.K., Williams, M.R., Mazer, K., Ross, J. and Sohngen, B., 2024. Drainage water management: A review of nutrient load reductions and cost effectiveness. Journal of the ASABE. 67(4): 1077-1092. https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15549
Hartfiel, LM., Diaz-Garcia, C., Christianson, LE., and Soupir, ML. 2024. Scenario-based techno-economic analysis of pumped denitrification bioreactors. Water Rsources and Economics, 46 (2024) 100238. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wre.2024.100238
Kaur, H., G. Singh, K.A. Nelson, and G. Kaur. 2024. Landscape position and cover crops affect soil properties in a no-till terrace-tile field. Catena 239:10784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.107874.
Kaur, H., G. Singh, K. Williard, J. Schoonover, K.A. Nelson, and G. Kaur. 2024. Tillage and cover cropping influence phosphorus dynamics in soil and water pools. Agrosyst. Geosci. & Environ. 7:e20570. doi: 10.1002/agg2.20570.
Kaur, H., K.A. Nelson, G. Singh, G. Kaur, and M.P. Davis. 2024. Spring applied phosphorus loss with cover crops in no-till terraced field. Journal of Environmental Management. 335:120431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120431.
Kaur, H., K.A. Nelson, C.K. Wikle, R. Ferguson, and G. Singh. 2024. Nitrogen fertilizer and pronitridine rates for corn production in the Midwest U.S. Field Crops Research. 306:109200. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.109200.
Kaur, H., K.A. Nelson, G. Singh, and R.P. Udawatta. 2024. Cover crop impacts water quality in a tile-terraced no-till field with corn-soybean rotation. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 360:108794. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108794.
Kaur, H., K.A. Nelson, R. Udawatta, and G. Kaur. 2024. Subsurface drainage and nitrogen management affects soil properties in upstate Missouri U.S. Geoderma Regional. 39:e00888. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2024.e00888.
Kaur, H., and K.A. Nelson. 2024. Subsurface drainage and nitrogen fertilizer management affect fertilizer fate in claypan soils. Sustainability, 16:6477. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156477.
Lacroix, E.M., A. Gomes, G. Barratt Heitmann, D. Schuler, A. Dekas, D. Liptzin, E. Aberle, D. Watts, K.A. Nelson, S. Culman, and S. Fendorf. 2024. Microbial proxies for anoxic microsites vary with management and partially explain soil carbon concentration. Environmental Science & Technol. 58, 11459−11469. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c01882.
Lawrence N, Hall SJ. 2024. Mechanisms underlying episodic nitrogen and phosphorus leaching from poorly drained agricultural soils. Journal of Environmental Quality 53: 643-656. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20597
Licht M.A., Comito J., Helmers M.J., Ripley E., Staudt A. (2025) Iowa learning farms: Utilizing research to develop and deliver extension outreach programs across multiple constituencies. Journal of Environmental Quality 54:747-761. DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.70008.
Liebman M., Helmers M.J. (2024) Multiyear productivity and nitrate-nitrogen loss from corn and prairie bioenergy cropping systems. Agronomy Journal 116:3053-3069. DOI: 10.1002/agj2.21713.
Loper H., Tenesaca C., Pederson C., Helmers M.J., Crumpton W.G., Lemke D., Hall S.J. (2024) Insights on agricultural nitrate leaching from soil block mesocosms. Journal of Environmental Quality. DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20586.
Lyons S.E., Arnall D.B., Ashford-Kornburger D., Brouder S.M., Christian E., Dobermann A., Haefele S.M., Haegele J., Helmers M.J., Jin V.L., Margenot A.J., Mcgrath J.M., Morgan K.T., Murrell T.S., Osmond D.L., Pelster D.E., Slaton N.A., Vadas P.A., Venterea R.T., Volenec J.J., Wagner-Riddle C. (2025) Field trial guidelines for evaluating enhanced efficiency fertilizers. Soil Science Society of America Journal 89. DOI: ARTN e20787 10.1002/saj2.20787.
Maxwell, BM., Christianson, RD., Arch, R., Johnson, S., Book, R., and Christianson, LE. 2024. Applied denitrifying bioreactor cost efficiencies based on empirical construction costs and nitrate removal. Journal of Environmental Management, 352 (2024) 120054. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120054
Mitchell M.E., Anteau M.J., Pearse A.T., Newcomer-Johnson T., Christensen J., Crumpton W., Dyson B., Canfield T.J., Helmers M., Green D., Forshay K.J. (2025) Modeling Wetland Resources for Spring Migratory Waterbirds Under Different Agricultural Management Scenarios in the Iowa Portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, USA. Wetlands 45. DOI: ARTN 48 10.1007/s13157-025-01930-y.
Nelson, E.P., Scherer, T.F., and Jia, X. 2024. Flow rate and volume estimates from variable frequency drive operated drainage sump pumps. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 40 (1) 51-67. doi: https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.15790
Niaghi, Ali R , Axel Garcia y Garcia, Jeffrey S. Strock. 2024. Supplemental Irrigation with Recycled Drainage Water: Outcomes for Corn and Soybean in a Fine-Textured Soil. Agronomy, 14, 1948. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14091948
Osterholz, W., Simpson, Z., Williams, M., Shedekar, V., Penn, C., King, K. 2024. New phosphorus losses via tile drainage depend on fertilizer form, placement, and timing. Journal of Environmental Quality 53 (2) 241-252. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20549
Rudko, N., McMillan, S.K., Frankenberger, J., Lay, D.W. and Limiac, A., 2024. Water quality sampling provides insight into nutrient sources and pathways in an agricultural watershed in the Midwestern USA. Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Ecosystems, 2(4), pp.153-165.
Rui, Y., B. Goller, and E.J. Kladivko. 2024. Long-term crop yield benefits of subsurface drainage on poorly drained soils Agron. J. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21621
Russell, D., G. Singh, N. Quintana-Ashwell, G. Kaur, D. Gholson, J. Krutz, and K.A. Nelson. 2024. Cover crops and irrigation impacts on corn production and economic returns. Agric. Water Manage. 295:08739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108739.
Singh, G., M.P. Davis, K.A. Nelson, and G. Kaur. 2024. Drainage water management, woodchip bioreactor, and saturated riparian buffer as stacked conservation practices for improving crop yields and water quality. Environ. Technol. & Innovation, 36:103779. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2024.103779.
Wang, H., J. Strock, A. Ranaivoson, and S. Ishii. 2024. Bioremediation of Nitrate in Agricultural Drainage Ditches: Impacts of Low-Grade Weirs on Microbiomes and Nitrogen Cycle Gene Abundance. Science of the Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177070
Waring E.R.*, Pederson C., Lagzdins A., Clifford C., Helmers M.J. (2024) Water and soil quality respond to no-tillage and cover crops differently through 10 years of implementation. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 360. DOI: ARTN 108791 10.1016/j.agee.2023.108791.
Extension Publications
Author(s) | Year | Title | Publication Name (Website or Place Stored etc) | State/Region | Practice/Topic | Size (pages, time length, etc.) | Type | Resource Category | Access link |
E. Ghane | 2024 | Mole Drains | MSU Extension Bulletin E3452 | National | Conventional Drainage | 8 | Fact Sheet | https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/mole-drains | |
E. Ghane | 2024 | Iron Ochre | MSU Extension Bulletin E3453 | National | Conventional Drainage | 8 | Fact Sheet | https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/iron-ochre | |
E. Ghane | 2024 | A Guide for Monitoring Phosphorus. | MSU Extension Bulletin E3484 | National | Monitoring of tile drainage | 4 | Fact Sheet | https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/a-guide-for-monitoring-phosphorus | |
Easton, Z.M. | 2024 | Denitrification Management | VCE Extension Fact Sheet BSE-54P | National | Managing the N cycle | 5 | Fact Sheet | ||
T. Groh | 2024 | Constructed and Restored Wetlands in the Agricultural Landscape | Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy | Pennsylvania/Mid Atlantic Region | Wetland | 1.5 Hours | Video | Video | https://pacleanwateracademy.remote-learner.net/course/view.php?id=1310 |