Subsurface drainage design
- Local identifier
- L1-151
- Years operational
- 2019—
- Objective
- The objective is to clearify the effects of subsurface drainage design on nutrient losses and crop yield
- Description
- A clear strategy for adapting agricultural drainage to climate change is important for environmental and economic reasons. In this project with the overall aim of developing recommendations for future drainage of clay soils, we are studying how re-drainage affects nutrient leaching and crop yield, and in particular the impact of drain spacing (with/without lime filter) on nitrogen and phosphorus losses and crop yield.
- Data Access Statement
- Other
- Data Access Notes
- An online application form for access to long-term field experiments or data from the experiments. https://www.slu.se/globalassets/ew/org/centrb/langliggande/gb-ltt-application-form-slu-20140820.docx
- Data license
- Other
- Data URL
- https://www.slu.se/globalassets/ew/org/centrb/langliggande/gb-guidelines_lte_slu_20140820.pdf
- Data policy
- Yes (not online)
- Organization
- SLU Agricultural Long-Term Experimentsresearch organisation
- Person
- Associate professor Ingrid Wesströmprincipal investigatorSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesSoil and Environment
Site: Subsurface drainage design
- Type
- farmer field
- Local code
- L1-151
- Location
- SalaVästmanlandSweden
- Geographic location
- 59.48, 16.47
- Elevation
- 44 Metres
- Visits permitted?
- Yes
- Visiting arrangements
- Complete online application
- History
- The field has been under cultivation during 100 years. The field site was originally systematically subsurface drained, with clay tile drains to 1 m depth, in 1920.
- Management
- The field at the site is under conventional cultivation by the farmer, with a four-year crop rotation of winter wheat, spring canola, spring wheat, and peas.
- Soil description
- Clay soil
- Climate properties
Variable Time period Value (range) Units precipitation 1991 – 2020 549 mm air temperature 1991 – 2020 6.2 degree Celsius
Design period: (2019—)
- Design Type
- Randomized complete block design
- Description
- The field site was originally systematically subsurface drained, with clay tile drains to 1 m depth, in 1920. In 2018, experimental plots were re-drained with corrugated plastic pipes to 1 m depth and the old drainage system was plugged in those plots. Four drainage treatments (A-D) are in place, each with three replicates, giving 12 experimental plots (Figure 1). The drainage treatments, which represent different strategies for subsurface drainage in terms of types of pipe material, drain spacing, and drain envelope, are: A) old drainage system with clay tiles at 10 m spacing, no envelope (control); B) new drainage system with plastic pipes at 10 m spacing, gravel envelope; C) new drainage system with plastic pipes at 5 m spacing, gravel envelope ; and D) new drainage system with plastic pipes at 10 m spacing, gravel envelope, and lime incorporated in trench backfill. The drain depth in all treatments (A-D) is 1 m.
- Number of plots
- 12
- Number of subplots
- 0
- Number of replicates
- 3
- Number of harvests per year
- 1
- Crops
Crop Years grown - Measurements
Variable Material Units Frequency Scale Comment Drainage discharge Not specified mm hourly water quality Not specified mm per litre flow proportional nitrogen and phosphorus loads yield Not specified kg per hectare yearly