Drainage the key factors and starting to address them Dick Godwin - - PDF document

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Drainage the key factors and starting to address them Dick Godwin - - PDF document

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them Repairing the Damaged Soils of 2012 Drainage the key factors and starting to address them Dick Godwin Visiting Professor - Harper Adams University Outline Fundamentals

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

www.soilandwater.org.uk

Repairing the Damaged Soils of 2012

Dick Godwin

Visiting Professor - Harper Adams University

Drainage –

the key factors and starting to address them

Outline Fundamentals

The problem and the penalties Soil and water relationships

Actions

Short term Medium term Long term

Concluding remarks

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Waterlogging treatment Grain Yield (g/m²) Straw Yield (g/m2) Straw length (cm) Fertile shoots /m² Grains/ ear 1000 grain weight (g) Free draining 937 942 73 541 34.3 50.7 From 19 Nov for 25 days

Water table @ 5 cm

837* 879*** 70 485 34.5 50.4 From 19 Nov for 25 days

Surface water table

850* 827*** 69 535 32.8 48.9* From 19 Nov for 120 days

Surface water table

876 847*** 75 446* 40.1 49.3 LSD (5%) 85 4 62 6.6 1.5

10.7% reduction 3.6 % reduction

Effect of winter waterlogging on Winter wheat yield

Sandy loam 1976-7 12.2% reduction

Source: Belford (1981), J. Agric. Sci, 97

Waterlogging treatment Grain Yield (g/m²) Straw yield (g/m²) Ears/m² Grains/ear 1000 grain weight (g)

  • 1. Free draining

1281 861 517 46.6 53.7

  • 2. From 1 Nov

for 42 days 1195 875 533 43.4 52.3

  • 3. From 25 Jan

for 42 days 1235 857 477 48.9 53.0

  • 4. From 2 May

for 21 days 1131 802 525 42.9 50.3* 2 & 3 & 4 1044** 782 525 40.1* 50* LSD (5%) 167 91 96 6.4 3.4

Source: Belford (1981), J. Agric. Sci, 97

19 % reduction

6.9 % reduction

Effect of waterlogging on Winter wheat yield

Sandy loam 1977-8

13.9 % reduction

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  • For all treatments, grain losses were less than expected from the tiller loss

in winter.

  • Losses after single waterlogging events ranged from 2% (after 47 days) to

16% (after 80 days).

  • Yield losses after 3 waterloggings at the seedling, tillering and stem

elongation stages were additive, and totalled 19%.

  • In many treatments, grain loss was associated with lighter grain weights,
  • The importance of nitrogen fertilizer in maintaining a satisfactory plant

nitrogen status was shown when nitrogen was with held before a 3-week waterlogging treatment during stem elongation.

Conclusions from Letcombe

Land drainage and crop yield

Crop failure – during growth, in this case ~25% loss Soya beans, Illinois - July 2008 Effect on crop growth – Denchworth Soil FDEU studies at Drayton 1970 -74 Winter Wheat Yield ~4.5 t/ha Drains & Moles + 1.0 t/ha Drains No moles & subsoiling + 0.6 t/ha

Studies at Brooksby showed + 0.5t/ha from moling

Birds Eye lost 40% of pea yield in summer of 2007 due to poor trafficability

FDEU Annual Report 1975

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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The Role of Drainage on Mechanisation

Increasing water table depth:

  • Increases soil strength &

trafficability

  • Less soil damage or compaction.
  • Easier& more effective field
  • perations.
  • Increased number of available

work days, improved timeliness and establishment.

From :Profi

Principal types of drainage problem

  • 1. Surface water control (perched water table or top water)
  • 2. Groundwater table control (bottom water)

Impermeable layer Impermeable layer Saturated zone

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

www.soilandwater.org.uk

Water budget

Wat er in, Wat er out ,

Evaporat ion & Transiprat ion

Rainf all Drainage Wat er st orage

Soil constituents

45 - 48% MINERAL Sand/Silt/Clay 20-30% AIR 30-20% WATER 2 - 5% ORGANIC MATTER SOIL VOID SOIL SOLID

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Sponge analogy

  • Saturation
  • All pores are filled with water

Drainage

  • Field capacity
  • Some water has drained due to the forces of gravity

Plants extracting water + evapotranspiration

  • Permanent wilting point
  • There is still some water but plants cannot apply enough suction to get it

Soil-water relationships

10 20 30 40 50

Volumetric moisture content, % Available water Permanent wilting point Field capacity Saturation

Sand Loamy sand Sandy loam Sandy silt loam Silt loam Sandy clay Clay loam Silty clay loam Sandy clay Silty clay Clay

Drainable porosity

After: Godwin and Dresser, 2003

Saturation

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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10 20 30 40 50

Volumetric moisture content, % Available water Permanent wilting point Field capacity Saturation

Sand Loamy sand Sandy loam Sandy silt loam Silt loam Sandy clay Clay loam Silty clay loam Sandy clay Silty clay Clay

Drainable porosity

After: Godwin and Dresser, 2003

Permanent wilting point Saturation Field capacity

Soil-water relationships

Drainable porosity

10 20 30 40 50

Volumetric moisture content, % Available water Permanent wilting point Field capacity Saturation

Sand Loamy sand Sandy loam Sandy silt loam Silt loam Sandy clay Clay loam Silty clay loam Sandy clay Silty clay Clay

Drainable porosity

After: Godwin and Dresser, 2003

Permanent wilting point Saturation Field capacity

Soil-water relationships

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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10 20 30 40 50

Volumetric moisture content, % Available water Permanent wilting point Field capacity Saturation

Sand Loamy sand Sandy loam Sandy silt loam Silt loam Sandy clay Clay loam Silty clay loam Sandy clay Silty clay Clay

Drainable porosity

After: Godwin and Dresser, 2003

Permanent wilting point Saturation Field capacity Drainable porosity Available water

Soil-water relationships Perched water tables and storage capacity

10 20 30 40 50

Volumetric moisture content, % Available water Permanent wilting point Field capacity Saturation

Sand Loamy sand Sandy loam Sandy silt loam Silt loam Sandy clay Clay loam Silty clay loam Sandy clay Silty clay Clay

Drainable porosity

After: Godwin and Dresser, 2003

Permanent wilting point Saturation Field capacity

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Perched water tables and storage capacity

10 20 30 40 50

Volumetric moisture content, % Available water Permanent wilting point Field capacity Saturation

Sand Loamy sand Sandy loam Sandy silt loam Silt loam Sandy clay Clay loam Silty clay loam Sandy clay Silty clay Clay

Drainable porosity

After: Godwin and Dresser, 2003

Permanent wilting point Saturation Field capacity

Sand pit Field conditions

Rivers Uck and Bourne catchments, 2003

Infiltration / soil wetting

0 mins

Coarse/Fine Fine/Coarse

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Infiltration / soil wetting

0 mins 3 mins 5 mins 8 mins

Coarse/Fine Fine/Coarse

Infiltration / soil wetting

8 mins

Coarse/Fine Fine/Coarse

Crack effect

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Infiltration ~ soil type

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28

Sandy loam Loam Clay loam

Main factors affecting infiltration

  • Soil type
  • Vegetation/surface cover

Time (hours) Infiltration rate (mm/hour) 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5

22

Infiltration ~ surface cover

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 10 20 30 40 50 60 Time (min) Old permanent pasture or heavy mulch 4 to 8-year old permanent pasture 3 to 4-year old permanent pasture lightly grazed Permanent pasture moderately grazed Hays Permanent pasture heavily grazed Strip-cropped or mixed cover Weeds or grain Clean tilled Bare ground

150 120 90 60 30 Infiltration rate mm/hr

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Relationship between compaction and infiltration rate

After: Chyba, 2012

1.42 1.58 1.62 1.62 Soil Density g/cc

Infiltration rate (mm/hour)

Effect of organic matter

  • Silt loam soils in Missouri showed a decline in organic matter from

3.9% to 2.6% over a 60 year period.

  • This corresponded to a change in plastic limit moisture content

from 27% to 22% and a less ideal working range.

After: Baver et. al., 1972

Cemented/Hard Friable Plastic Liquid Cemented/Hard Friable Plastic Liquid

3.9% 2.6%

Soil moisture content

Ideal working range

Dry Wet

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Typical problems

A less common scene

Short term measures

  • Study “Old Drainage Plans”
  • Walk ditch drains
  • Check that tile drains, plastic pipes and mole drains are flowing
  • Clean blocked ditch and open drains
  • Flush pipe drains
  • Ensure outfall/arterial drains are functioning
  • Install “short term” mole/ditch/furrow drains if appropriate
  • Broadcast seed to establish cover and “pump out water”
  • Map damaged areas for repair later in the season/next
  • pportunity
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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Clean ditches Drainage Maintenance: Pipe Jetting for Blockages

28

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Potential site for a short drain, ditch cleaning and grass waterway Mole drain/furrow from the ditch

Fit duals and reduce inflation pressure Shallow, i.e.12-15” deep, mini-mole with 2’’ diameter foot. No - Expander

+ 2nd tractor & chains

  • r winch

Herringbone cracks

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Mole plough draught forces

1/3 of the force at 0.6m “Mini mole” depth Conventional mole depth

After: Godwin, Spoor & Leeds Harrison, 1982

Alternatively

  • Dig a ditch
  • Digger or spade
  • Pull a furrow
  • Starting from both ends
  • Drill a hole or dig

a soak-way

  • Depends on the subsoil

condition ??

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

www.soilandwater.org.uk Low intensity- small area seeding

2 or 3 left on Amazon

Medium term

  • Mole drain clay soils with perched water tables to connect with

gravel backfill of existing tile/plastic drains in May/June!?

  • Subsoil damaged areas after next harvest (David will cover)
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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Hydrograph of mole drain discharge with leg fissures Hydrograph of mole drain discharge without leg fissures

Flow rate, ml/s Rainfall, mm

Time, h After: Leeds Harrison, Spoor & Godwin, 1982

Long term measures

  • Install pipe/ditch drains (probably random - drain the problem not

the field!) (Rob will cover)

  • Mole drain clay soils with perched water tables to connect with

gravel backfill

  • Subsoil compacted areas (Phil will cover)
  • Install grass waterways
  • Grade low spots in flat lands
  • Improve arterial drains
  • Reduce surface compaction by reducing traffic density and

intensity (CTF and LGP)

  • Improve soil organic matter content (a very long term effect)
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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Common types of pipe drainage systems

  • a. Natural
  • b. Herring bone
  • c. Regular
  • d. Cutoff or

Interceptor

After: Schwab et al 1993

Subsoiling

After: Spoor and Godwin, 1978

Plain tine Wide point, high lift wing Narrow point, low lift wing

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Grass waterways

http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/

USDA

Land smoothing of low spots

After: Schwab et al 1993

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Random Traffic Problems

Extensive areas of the field are exposed to trafficking

  • Random Traffic + plough

= 85% covered

  • Minimum Tillage

= 65% covered

  • Direct Drilling

= 45% covered

Kroulik et al, 2011

grain carting straw carting straw baling

Wheat Czech Republic Potatoes Shropshire

Kroulik , Misiewicz, White and Godwin, 2012 After: Tullberg et al. 2003

Reduced pressure/axle weight and central tyre inflation pressure control systems

Options for compaction reduction

Controlled traffic

Source: CTF Europe

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF)

  • Area exposed to wheels < 30-40% & could be <20%
  • Improved soil structure
  • Reduced input costs: time; fuel; machinery - Down 22%
  • Operating profit up 8% (£75/ha without yield addition)
  • Increased crop yields from non trafficked soils + 9 to16%
  • Infiltration increased by circa 400% in UK

Source: Chamen, 2011

Pros + Simple concept

+ GPS steering/guidance

Cons

  • Standardise wheel centres
  • Industry resistance to change

in broad acre crops

  • GPS reliability
  • Harvester widths

Lower Ground Pressure (LGP)

+ Simple + Cheap

  • Pressure is applied

+ Less working time and improved fuel economy, trafficability and manoeuvrability Combine: + £3 to 4/ha for 5 - 7 year life

Price offset by improved trafficability and narrower operating widths

Tyrell, Claas UK

Extra costs Tractor - 280 hp : Ultraflex tyres extra = £1/ha Combine: Ultraflex = £0.50/ha

Price offset by fuel savings (c.20%)

Mozziconacci, Michelin

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Tramline management

Runoff Chisel or side inclined tines

  • n upper

tramline wheelmark

  • nly

Cross drain with mole plough

OR Effect of infiltration rate on runoff

Parrett and Tone Catchment, Dorset/Somerset @ Haselbury Plucknet/Chiselborough

Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall Rainfall

1 2 3 4 5 6

Rainfall and runoff rates (mm h

  • 1)

23

rd December

25

th December

24

th December 18 24 6 12 18 24 6 12 18 24 6 12 18 24

qpoor =0.72 qgood

  • Infiltration Rate 4-8 mm/hr

qpoor =1.6 qpoor =3.3 qgood =1.23 qgood =2.6 qgood qpoor =0.89 qpoor =1.7 qgood =1.35

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

| | | |

25% 23% 21% 19% % Reduction in peak flow

After: Godwin and Dresser, 2003 From: Schwab et al., 1993 Infiltration Rate1-4 mm/hr

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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47

Drainage Maintenance: Water- logging

Regular inspections of drainage systems are needed. Restoration of an old system is cheaper than a new system.

  • Improved soil and water management is achieved by:
  • Reducing traffic intensity & contact pressure
  • Checking, maintaining and improving drainage

infrastructure

  • Considering the short, medium and longer term actions

listed above

  • Remember prevention is better than cure

Concluding remarks

GET THE SPADE OUT - AND LOOK!

Final Reflection

“Man has only a thin layer of soil between him and starvation”.

Anonymous

“The nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself”.

  • F. D. Roosevelt

“There can be no doubt that a society rooted in the soil is more stable than one rooted in pavements”

Aldo Leopold

“To forget our soil is to forget ourselves”

Ghandi

r.godwin@iagre.biz

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Dick Godwin - Drainage the key factors and starting to address them

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Any questions?

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