Simulation of nitrate-N movement in southern Ontario, Canada with DRAINMOD-N

DRAINMOD-N, a mathematical model to predict nitrate-N concentrations in surface runoff and drain outflows from subsurface-drained farmlands, has been tested against field data collected in southern Ontario. The data was collected in a corn field from 16 conventional drainage and subirrigation plots in Woodslee, Ontario, from 1992 to 1994. The model performance was evaluated by comparing the observed and simulated nitrate-N concentrations in surface runoff and drain outflows. A precise calculation of water-table depth is an essential prerequisite for a model to obtain a proper prediction of nitrate-N movement. For the simulation of water-table depth, the lowest root mean square error and the highest correlation coefficient of linear regression were 173 mm and 0.51 for the subirrigation plots; and 178 mm and 0.84 for the subsurface drainage plots. Therefore, the performance of DRAINMOD-N for soil hydrologic simulations was satisfactory and it could be used for assessing nitrogen fate and transport. For the simulation of nitrate-N losses in the subirrigation plots, the lowest root mean square error and the highest correlation coefficient of linear regression were 0.74 kg/ha and 0.98 for surface runoff; and 6.53 kg/ha and 0.91 for drain outflow. For the simulation in the subsurface drainage plots, the lowest root mean square error and the highest correlation coefficient of linear regression were 0.70 kg/ha and 0.96 for surface runoff; and 6.91 kg/ha and 0.92 for drain outflow. The results show that DRAINMOD-N can perform satisfactory simulation of soil hydrology and nitrate-N losses in surface runoff under various water-table management practices. The model can, therefore, be used to evaluate different water pollution scenarios and help in the development and testing of various pollution control strategies for fields in cold weather such as that in southern Canada.

[1]  N. K. Patni,et al.  Tile Effluent Quality and Chemical Losses Under Conventional and No Tillage — Part 1: Flow and Nitrate , 1996 .

[2]  Richard A C Cooke,et al.  APPLICATION OF DRAINMOD–N TO FIELDS WITH IRREGULAR DRAINAGE SYSTEMS , 2001 .

[3]  C. Drury,et al.  Integrated Soil, Crop and Water Management System to Abate Herbicide and Nitrate Contamination of the Great Lakes , 1993 .

[4]  D. L. Thomas,et al.  Water table management for water quality improvement , 1992 .

[5]  Shiv O. Prasher,et al.  Field validation of DRAINMOD in Atlantic Canada , 1994 .

[6]  Vaclav Smil,et al.  Global Population and the Nitrogen Cycle , 1997 .

[7]  David R. Huggins,et al.  Predicting subsurface drainage, corn yield, and nitrate nitrogen losses with DRAINMOD-N. , 2000 .

[8]  R. W. Skaggs,et al.  DRAINMOD modifications for cold conditions , 2000 .

[9]  R. Evans,et al.  Characterization and evaluation of proposed hydrologic criteria for wetlands , 1994 .

[10]  Chandra A. Madramootoo,et al.  MANAGING WATER TABLES TO IMPROVE DRAINAGE WATER QUALITY IN QUEBEC, CANADA , 2001 .

[11]  R. W. Skaggs,et al.  DRAINMOD-N, A NITROGEN MODEL FOR ARTIFICIALLY DRAINED SOIL , 1992 .

[12]  R. W. Skaggs,et al.  FIELD TESTING OF DRAINMOD-N , 1997 .

[13]  V. K. Serem,et al.  Modeling and testing of the effect of tillage, cropping and water management practices on nitrate leaching in clay loam soil. , 2000 .

[14]  C. Drury,et al.  Long-term (35 years) effects of fertilization, rotation and weather on corn yields , 1995 .

[15]  Craig F. Drury,et al.  Influence of controlled drainage-subirrigation on surface and tile drainage nitrate loss , 1996 .

[16]  R. W. Skaggs,et al.  Field Evaluation of a Water Management Simulation Model , 1982 .

[17]  W. Luo,et al.  PREDICTING FIELD HYDROLOGY IN COLD CONDITIONS WITH DRAINMOD , 2001 .

[18]  G. T. Dodds,et al.  SIMULATING NITROGEN DYNAMICS UNDER WATER TABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH DRAINMOD-N , 1999 .