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



PDF



Fact Sheet



https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/mole-drains



E. Ghane



2024



Iron Ochre



MSU Extension Bulletin E3453



National



Conventional Drainage



8



PDF



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



PDF



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



PDF



Fact Sheet



https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/BSE/BSE-54/BSE-54.html#:~:text=Denitrification%20Management%20(PDF)



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



 

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