Increasing soybean field drainage systems to allow farming operations earlier in wet springs and reduce nutrients and soil losses, 62-2023

To understand how drainage could influence the water table in the soil, there is a need to look at the various forms of soil water. The amount of water that can be drained out of the soil depends on the amount of drainable pore space, which is influenced by soil texture and structure. Thus, any management practice that increases the drainable pore spaces will likely improve soil water holding capacity and infiltration rate and conserve more rainwater in the soil. The effectiveness of drainage system and management practices in increasing drainage efficiency, soil infiltration and water holding capacity, soybean yield, water and nutrient productivity have received little attention, and the financial returns and costs of each option are also unknown. Management practice that can help improve these components is the integration of different cover crops and poultry litter in the existing drainage and cropping systems. Measuring the hydraulic and physical properties of soil, such as field capacity, plant available water, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and soil texture and aggregates, is necessary to understand the impact of cover crops, poultry litter and drainage system on soil health. The improved soil health can further help us determine the drainage conditions of the soil.