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2022 Vol.64, Issue 3 Preview Page
Designing a Subsurface Drainage System: A Trade-Off Between Environmental Sustainability and Agricultural Productivity

유공암거 배수 구성: 환경지속가능성과 농업생산성 사이의 균형

Kyung-Min Kima
,
Wu-Seong Jeonga
,
Rabin Bhattaraib
,
Han-Seok Jeongc†
김 경민a
,
정 우성a
,
바타라이 라빈b
,
정 한석c†
aMS Student, Department of Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology
bAssociate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
cAssistant Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology
a서울과학기술대학교 환경공학과 MS학생
b일리노이대학교 농생명공학과 부교수
c서울과학기술대학교 환경공학과 조교수
† Corresponding author Tel.: +82-2-970-6630 E-mail: hanjeong@seoultech.ac.kr
2022. pp. 53-61
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Abstract

This study evaluated the impacts of subsurface drainage design, i.e., spacing and depth, on agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability in two tile-drained fields (Sites A and E) under a corn-soybean rotation in the Midwestern United States. A calibrated and validated Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) was used to simulate Nitrate-N (nitrogen) losses to tile drainage and crop yields of 30 tile spacing and depth scenarios over 24 years (1992-2015). Our results presented that the narrower and deeper the tile drains are placed, the greater corn yield and Nitrate-N losses, indicating that the subsurface drainage design may cause a trade-off between agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. The simulation results also presented that up to about 255.7% and 628.0% increase in Nitrate-N losses in Sites A and E, respectively, far outweigh the rate of increase in corn yield up to about 1.1% and 1.6% from the adjustment of tile spacing and depth. Meanwhile, the crop yield and Nitrate-N losses according to the tile configuration differed depending on the field, and the soybean yield presented inconsistent simulation results, unlike the corn yield, which together demonstrate the heterogeneous characteristic of agro-environmental systems to a subsurface drainage practice. This study demonstrates the applicability of agricultural systems models in exploring agro-environmental responses to subsurface drainage practices, which can help guide the introduction and installation of tile systems into farmlands, e.g., orchards and paddy fields, in our country.

Keywords
Agricultural productivity
environmental sustainability
RZWQM
subsurface drainage
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국농공학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국농공학회논문집
  • Volume : 64
  • No :3
  • Pages :53-61
  • Received Date : 2022-04-05
  • Revised Date : 2022-04-20
  • Accepted Date : 2022-04-28
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.5389/KSAE.2022.64.3.053
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