IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v184y2017icp156-169.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Winter rye as a cover crop reduces nitrate loss to subsurface drainage as simulated by HERMES

Author

Listed:
  • Malone, R.W.
  • Kersebaum, K.C.
  • Kaspar, T.C.
  • Ma, L.
  • Jaynes, D.B.
  • Gillette, K.

Abstract

HERMES is a widely used agricultural system model; however, it has never been tested for simulating N loss to subsurface drainage. Here, we integrated a simple drain flow component into HERMES. We then compared the predictions to four years of data (2002–2005) from central Iowa fields in corn-oybean with winter rye as a cover crop (CC) and without winter rye (NCC). We also compared the HERMES predictions to the more complex Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) predictions for the same dataset. The average annual observed and simulated N loss to drain flow were 43.8 and 44.4kgN/ha (NCC) and 17.6 and 18.9kgN/ha (CC). The slightly over predicted N loss for CC was because of over predicted nitrate concentration, which may be partly caused by slightly under predicted average annual rye shoot N (observed and simulated values were 47.8 and 46.0kgN/ha). Also, recent research from the site suggests that the soil field capacity may be greater in CC while we used the same soil parameters for both treatments. A local sensitivity analysis suggests that increased field capacity affects HERMES simulations, which includes reduced drain flow nitrate concentrations, increased denitrification, and reduced drain flow volume. HERMES-simulated cumulative monthly drain flow and annual drain flow were reasonable compared to field data and HERMES performance was comparable to other published drainage model tests. Unlike the RZWQM simulations, however, the modified HERMES did not accurately simulate the year to year variability in nitrate concentration difference between NCC and CC, possibly due in part to the lack of partial mixing and displacement of the soil solution. The results suggest that 1) the relatively simple model HERMES is a promising tool to estimate annual N loss to drain flow under corn-soybean rotations with winter rye as a cover crop and 2) soil field capacity is a critical parameter to investigate to more thoroughly understand and appropriately model denitrification and N losses to subsurface drainage.

Suggested Citation

  • Malone, R.W. & Kersebaum, K.C. & Kaspar, T.C. & Ma, L. & Jaynes, D.B. & Gillette, K., 2017. "Winter rye as a cover crop reduces nitrate loss to subsurface drainage as simulated by HERMES," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 156-169.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:184:y:2017:i:c:p:156-169
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2017.01.016
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377417300392
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2017.01.016?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicolas Gruber & James N. Galloway, 2008. "An Earth-system perspective of the global nitrogen cycle," Nature, Nature, vol. 451(7176), pages 293-296, January.
    2. Singer, J.W. & Malone, R.W. & Jaynes, D.B. & Ma, L., 2011. "Cover crop effects on nitrogen load in tile drainage from Walnut Creek Iowa using root zone water quality (RZWQ) model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(10), pages 1622-1628, August.
    3. Armstrong, Adrian & Aden, Karin & Amraoui, Nadia & Diekkruger, Bernd & Jarvis, Nick & Mouvet, Christophe & Nicholls, Peter & Wittwer, Caroline, 2000. "Comparison of the performance of pesticide-leaching models on a cracking clay soil: results using the Brimstone Farm dataset," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 44(1-3), pages 85-104, May.
    4. Wallis, K.J. & Candela, L. & Mateos, R.M. & Tamoh, K., 2011. "Simulation of nitrate leaching under potato crops in a Mediterranean area. Influence of frost prevention irrigation on nitrogen transport," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(10), pages 1629-1640, August.
    5. Branger, F. & Tournebize, J. & Carluer, N. & Kao, C. & Braud, I. & Vauclin, M., 2009. "A simplified modelling approach for pesticide transport in a tile-drained field: The PESTDRAIN model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 415-428, March.
    6. Kaspar, T.C. & Jaynes, D.B. & Parkin, T.B. & Moorman, T.B. & Singer, J.W., 2012. "Effectiveness of oat and rye cover crops in reducing nitrate losses in drainage water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 25-33.
    7. Ale, Srinivasulu & Gowda, Prasanna H. & Mulla, David J. & Moriasi, Daniel N. & Youssef, Mohamed A., 2013. "Comparison of the performances of DRAINMOD-NII and ADAPT models in simulating nitrate losses from subsurface drainage systems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 21-30.
    8. Basche, Andrea D. & Kaspar, Thomas C. & Archontoulis, Sotirios V. & Jaynes, Dan B. & Sauer, Thomas J. & Parkin, Timothy B. & Miguez, Fernando E., 2016. "Soil water improvements with the long-term use of a winter rye cover crop," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 40-50.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yang, Wei & Feng, Gary & Adeli, Ardeshir & Kersebaum, K.C. & Jenkins, Johnie N. & Li, Pinfang, 2019. "Long-term effect of cover crop on rainwater balance components and use efficiency in the no-tilled and rainfed corn and soybean rotation system," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 27-39.
    2. Yin, Xiaogang & Kersebaum, Kurt Christian & Kollas, Chris & Manevski, Kiril & Baby, Sanmohan & Beaudoin, Nicolas & Öztürk, Isik & Gaiser, Thomas & Wu, Lianhai & Hoffmann, Munir & Charfeddine, Monia & , 2017. "Performance of process-based models for simulation of grain N in crop rotations across Europe," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 63-77.
    3. Gupta, Rishabh & Bhattarai, Rabin & Coppess, Jonathan W. & Jeong, Hanseok & Ruffatti, Michael & Armstrong, Shalamar D., 2022. "Modeling the impact of winter cover crop on tile drainage and nitrate loss using DSSAT model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    4. Shokrana, Md Sami Bin & Ghane, Ehsan & Abdalaal, Yousef & Nejadhashemi, A. Pouyan, 2023. "Predicting the effect of weir management on the discharge of a controlled drainage system in a changing climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    5. Robert Malone & Jurgen Garbrecht & Phillip Busteed & Jerry Hatfield & Dennis Todey & Jade Gerlitz & Quanxiao Fang & Matthew Sima & Anna Radke & Liwang Ma & Zhiming Qi & Huaiqing Wu & Dan Jaynes & Thom, 2020. "Drainage N Loads Under Climate Change with Winter Rye Cover Crop in a Northern Mississippi River Basin Corn-Soybean Rotation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rogovska, Natalia & O’Brien, Peter L. & Malone, Rob & Emmett, Bryan & Kovar, John L. & Jaynes, Dan & Kaspar, Thomas & Moorman, Thomas B. & Kyveryga, Peter, 2023. "Long-term conservation practices reduce nitrate leaching while maintaining yields in tile-drained Midwestern soils," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    2. Robert Malone & Jurgen Garbrecht & Phillip Busteed & Jerry Hatfield & Dennis Todey & Jade Gerlitz & Quanxiao Fang & Matthew Sima & Anna Radke & Liwang Ma & Zhiming Qi & Huaiqing Wu & Dan Jaynes & Thom, 2020. "Drainage N Loads Under Climate Change with Winter Rye Cover Crop in a Northern Mississippi River Basin Corn-Soybean Rotation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Yang, Wei & Feng, Gary & Adeli, Ardeshir & Kersebaum, K.C. & Jenkins, Johnie N. & Li, Pinfang, 2019. "Long-term effect of cover crop on rainwater balance components and use efficiency in the no-tilled and rainfed corn and soybean rotation system," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 27-39.
    4. Chelil, Samy & Henine, Hocine & Chaumont, Cedric & Tournebize, Julien, 2022. "NIT-DRAIN model to simulate nitrate concentrations and leaching in a tile-drained agricultural field," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    5. Sawadgo, Wendiam & Plastina, Alejandro, 2021. "Do cost-share programs increase cover crop use? Empirical evidence from Iowa," ISU General Staff Papers 202101010800001084, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    6. Marcillo, Guillermo S. & Carlson, Sarah & Filbert, Meghan & Kaspar, Thomas & Plastina, Alejandro & Miguez, Fernando E., 2019. "Maize system impacts of cover crop management decisions: A simulation analysis of rye biomass response to planting populations in Iowa, U.S.A," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    7. Gupta, Rishabh & Bhattarai, Rabin & Coppess, Jonathan W. & Jeong, Hanseok & Ruffatti, Michael & Armstrong, Shalamar D., 2022. "Modeling the impact of winter cover crop on tile drainage and nitrate loss using DSSAT model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    8. Ruffatti, Michael D. & Roth, Richard T. & Lacey, Corey G. & Armstrong, Shalamar D., 2019. "Impacts of nitrogen application timing and cover crop inclusion on subsurface drainage water quality," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 81-88.
    9. Lychuk, Taras E. & Hill, Robert L. & Izaurralde, Roberto C. & Momen, Bahram & Thomson, Allison M., 2021. "Evaluation of climate change impacts and effectiveness of adaptation options on nitrate loss, microbial respiration, and soil organic carbon in the Southeastern USA," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    10. Shen Yuan & Shaobing Peng, 2017. "Exploring the Trends in Nitrogen Input and Nitrogen Use Efficiency for Agricultural Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, October.
    11. Keikha, Mahdi & Darzi- Naftchali, Abdullah & Motevali, Ali & Valipour, Mohammad, 2023. "Effect of nitrogen management on the environmental and economic sustainability of wheat production in different climates," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    12. Auguères, Anne-Sophie & Loreau, Michel, 2016. "Biotic regulation of non-limiting nutrient pools and coupling of biogeochemical cycles," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 334(C), pages 1-7.
    13. Xiaochen Lu & Binjie Li & Guangsheng Chen, 2023. "Responses of Soil CO 2 Emission and Tree Productivity to Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions in a Nitrogen-Rich Subtropical Chinese Fir Plantation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
    14. Sheng Gong & Jason.S. Bergtold & Elizabeth Yeager, 2021. "Assessing the joint adoption and complementarity between in-field conservation practices of Kansas farmers," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 9(1), pages 1-24, December.
    15. Rath, S. & Zamora-Re, M. & Graham, W. & Dukes, M. & Kaplan, D., 2021. "Quantifying nitrate leaching to groundwater from a corn-peanut rotation under a variety of irrigation and nutrient management practices in the Suwannee River Basin, Florida," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    16. Wang, Jun & Zhang, Shaohong & Sainju, Upendra M. & Ghimire, Rajan & Zhao, Fazhu, 2021. "A meta-analysis on cover crop impact on soil water storage, succeeding crop yield, and water-use efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    17. Florian Rabitz & Alin Olteanu & Jurgita Jurkevičienė & Agnė Budžytė, 2021. "A topic network analysis of the system turn in the environmental sciences," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(3), pages 2107-2140, March.
    18. Ji, Yongjie & Rabotyagov, sergey & Valcu-Lisman, Adriana, 2015. "Estimating Adoption of Cover Crops Using Preferences Revealed by a Dynamic Crop Choice Model," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205799, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    19. Du, Zhushan & Feng, Hongli & Arbuckle, J. Gordon, 2024. "Beyond cross-sectional, one-time adoption measures of conservation practices: Understanding temporal adoption patterns using farm-level panel data," 2024 Annual Meeting, July 28-30, New Orleans, LA 344010, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Maaz Gardezi & J. Gordon Arbuckle, 2019. "Spatially Representing Vulnerability to Extreme Rain Events Using Midwestern Farmers’ Objective and Perceived Attributes of Adaptive Capacity," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(1), pages 17-34, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:184:y:2017:i:c:p:156-169. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.