No3-N and metolachlor concentrations in the soil water as affected by water table depth

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1996
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Sarwar, Tahir
Kanwar, Rameshwar
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Kanwar, Rameshwar
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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Since 1905, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, now the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), has been a leader in providing engineering solutions to agricultural problems in the United States and the world. The department’s original mission was to mechanize agriculture. That mission has evolved to encompass a global view of the entire food production system–the wise management of natural resources in the production, processing, storage, handling, and use of food fiber and other biological products.

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In 1905 Agricultural Engineering was recognized as a subdivision of the Department of Agronomy, and in 1907 it was recognized as a unique department. It was renamed the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 1990. The department merged with the Department of Industrial Education and Technology in 2004.

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1905–present

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  • Department of Agricultural Engineering (1907–1990)

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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Abstract

Experiments were conducted in lysimeters to study the effect of shallow water table (WT) depths on the transport of two commonly used agricultural chemicals, nitrate-N and metolachlor, to shallow groundwater. Groundwater samples were collected from 0.20-, 0.40-, and 0.60-m depths using suction tubes during the growing season. The results showed significant reductions in both nitrate-N and metolachlor concentrations in the groundwater by maintaining shallow WT depths. Lowest concentrations of nitrate-N and metolachlor in the groundwater were observed when WT were maintained at 0.15-m depth. Generally, nitrate-N concentrations were increased with the soil depth while metolachlor concentrations decreased with the sampling depth during the growing season. Analysis of drainage outflow data at the end of WT treatment period also provided the evidence of the effectiveness of shallow WTs in reducing chemicals losses to shallow groundwater systems. The results of this study indicated that nitrate-N and metolachlor concentrations in the drainage outflow were 54 and 45%, respectively, lower for the 0.15-m WT treatment than the 0.60-m WT treatment. Regression analysis showed a strong negative linear relationship between metolachlor concentration and days after planting (DAP). Soybean yield was significantly reduced with the rise in WT depth. Average soybean yield obtained for the 0.15-m WT depth was 42% lower than the 0.60-m WT depth. It can be concluded from the overall results of this study that shallow WTs can be used effectively to reduce the nitrate-N and metolachlor losses to the shallow groundwater.

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This article was published in Transactions of the ASAE 39(6): 2119–2129, doi:10.13031/2013.27715. Posted with permission.

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Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 1996
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