Proceedings of the USDA-ARS workshop "Real world" infiltration

Compiled and edited by L.R. Ahuja and Amy Garrison.Includes bibliographical references.Proceedings of the 1996 workshop held on July 22-25, 1996 in Pingree Park, Colorado

Simulating nitrogen management effects of subsurface drainage water quality

Increased level of NO3-N in the drinking water supplies is a major health concern these days. The long-term effects of actual nitrogen (N) fertilizer management practices are not well understood. The use of computer models allows the simulation of different N management practices on a long-term basis and their related effects on water quality. The RZWQM (Root Zone Water Quality Model, Version 3.0) was used to simulate the long-term (1978–1992) impacts of N management practices (single N applications at 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg per ha; and single and split N applications at 150 and 200 kg per ha) on NO3-N losses with subsurface drain flows and crop yields under two tillage systems (moldboard plow (MB) and no till (NT)). Simulations conducted in this study were based on input parameters calibrated by Singh et al. (J. Environ. Qual., in press) for NO3-N transport to subsurface drains. However, calibration of some additional parameters was required in this study for long-term simulations. The long-term climatic data and soil properties data for these simulations were obtained from a water quality research site at Nashua, Iowa. The results of this study showed that increasing rates of N applications (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg per ha) resulted in increased NO3-N losses with subsurface drain flows and increased crop yields. However, increasing rates of NO3-N losses and crop yields were not linearly proportional with increasing rates of N applications. These trends were similar for both MB and NT treatments. Also, NO3-N losses and crop yields were not significantly different under single and split N applications at both 150 and 200 kg per ha levels of application. The single N application of 150 kg per ha was considered the best N application practice as the simulated NO3-N losses under this practice were reduced considerably (40.3% less in MB and 52.4% less in NT) when compared with the single N application of 200 kg per ha. At the same time, the reduction in crop yields at 150 kg per ha single N application was very small (5.9% reduction under MB and about 6.1% under NT) when compared with the crop yields at 200 kg per ha single N application. This study also shows that RZWQM can be used successfully in evaluating similar N management schemes for other geographic regions of the world by utilizing site-specific data on soils, geological features, crops, and climatic parameters such as rainfall and evaporation

Workshop on computer applications in water management: proceedings of the 1995 workshop

Compiled and edited by L. Ahuja, J. Leppert, K. Rojas, E. Seely.Also published as: Great Plains Agricultural Council publication, no. 154.Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Workshop on computer applications in water management: proceedings of the 1995 workshop held on May 23-25, 1995 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado

Calibration and Evaluation of Subsurface Drainage Component of RZWQM V.2.5

This study was designed to calibrate and evaluate the subsurface drain flow component of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM; Version 2.5) for four tillage-systems: chisel plow (CP), moldboard plow (MB), no-tillage (NT), and ridge-tillage (RT). Measured subsurface drain flow data for 1990 was used for model calibration. Main parameters calibrated were lateral saturated hydraulic conductivity, and effective porosity. Subsurface drain flow predictions were made using calibrated parameters and compared with measured subsurface drain flows for 1991 and 1992. Measured subsurface drain flow data for all 3 yrs was obtained from the Nashua Water Quality Site in Iowa. The model, in general, showed a good agreement between measured and predicted subsurface drain flow values, although discrepancies existed for several days of a given year. Coefficients of determination calculated for predicted vs. measured daily subsurface drain flows ranged from 0.51 to 0.68 for 1990, 0.70 to 0.78 for 1991, and 0.54 to 0.69 for 1992. Simulated tillage effect on subsurface drain flows for 1991 and 1992 were consistent with those for calibrated year 1990 (maximum subsurface drain flow was observed under NT and minimum under MB). However, observed tillage effects varied from year to year, indicating a change in soil hydraulic properties, e.g., macroporosity. Other factors that could have caused the discrepancies between measured and simulated subsurface drain flows were: groundwater flux due to natural gradient, deep seepage, inaccuracies involved in the estimation of breakpoint rainfall data, and spatial variability in soil properties

Evaluation of the root zone water quality model for predicting water and NO3–N movement in an Iowa soil

Evaluation of computer models with field data is required before they can be effectively used for predicting agricultural management systems. A study was conducted to evaluate tillage effects on the movement of water and nitrate–nitrogen (NO3–N) in the root zone under continuous corn (Zea mays L.) production. Four tillage treatments considered were: chisel plow (CP), moldboard plow (MP), no-tillage (NT), and ridge-tillage (RT). The root zone water quality model (RZWQM: V.3.25) was used to conduct these simulations. Three years (1990–1992) of field observed data on soil water contents and NO3–N concentrations in the soil profile were used to evaluate the performance of the model. The RZWQM usually predicted higher soil water contents compared with the observed soil water contents. The model predicted higher NO3–N concentrations in the soil profile for MP and NT treatments in comparison with CP and RT treatments, but the magnitude of simulated NO3–N peak concentrations in the soil profile were substantially different from those of the observed peaks. The average NO3–N concentrations for the entire soil profile predicted by the model were close to the observed concentrations except for ridge tillage (percent difference for CP=+5.1%, MP=+12.8%, NT=+18.4%, RT=−44.8%). Discrepancies between the simulated and observed water contents and NO3–N concentrations in the soil profile indicated a need for the calibration of plant growth component of the model further for different soil and climatic conditions to improve the N-uptake predictions of the RZWQM

Using RZWQM to Predict Herbicide Leaching Losses in Subsurface Drainage Water

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options. USING RZWQM TO PREDICT HERBICIDE LEACHING LOSSES IN SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE WATER Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org Citation: Transactions of the ASAE. Vol. 47(5): 1415-1426 . (doi: 10.13031/2013.17621) @2004 Authors: A. Bakhsh, L. Ma, L. R. Ahuja, J. L. Hatfield, R. S. Kanwar Keywords: Herbicides, RZWQM, Subsurface drainage, Water quality Improvements have been made in the pesticide component of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) since its release in 1999 for the Management System Evaluation Areas (MSEA) project. This study was designed to evaluate the herbicide leaching component of the model using data on subsurface drainage flow and herbicide leaching losses for a 6-year (1992 to 1997) period. A sensitivity analysis was conducted for the key parameters important in the pesticide calibration process. The model was calibrated using 1992 data and validated using 1993 to 1997 data collected from a tile-drained field within the Walnut Creek watershed in central Iowa. The model evaluation criterion was based on percent difference between the predicted and measured data (%D), root mean square error (RMSE), and model efficiency (EF). Atrazine and metolachlor were applied to corn in 1993, 1995, and 1997, and metribuzin was used during the soybean growing seasons in 1992, 1994, and 1996 at the standard application rates used in Iowa. The predicted subsurface drainage volumes were in close agreement with the measured data showing %D = 1, RMSE = 8, and EF = 0.99, when averaged over the validation years. Herbicide half-life (t1/2) and soil organic based partitioning coefficient (Koc) were found to be the most sensitive parameters for simulating herbicide leaching losses in subsurface drainage water. Both t1/2 and Koc affected the mass and temporal distribution of the herbicide leaching losses in subsurface drainage flows. The predicted herbicide leaching losses in subsurface drainage water were the same order of magnitude as the measured data, when averaged across the validation years. The study also revealed that herbicide leaching losses were significantly (P \u3c 0.05) controlled by the drainage volume (R2 = 0.97). The model, however, underpredicted herbicide leaching losses after crop harvest and during early spring, possibly because of preferential flow paths developed during these periods. More improvements may be needed in the RZWQM to consider the dynamics of the preferential flow paths development in cultivated soils similar to that of the study area

Simulating Atrazine Transport Using Root Zone Water Quality Model for Iowa Soil Profiles

The pesticide component of the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) was calibrated and evaluated for two tillage systems: no-till (NT) and moldboard plow (MB). The RZWQM is a process-based model that simulates the water and chemical transport processes in the soil-crop-atmosphere system. Observed data on atrazine concentrations in the soil profile, for model calibration and testing, were obtained from a field study in Iowa. Two statistical parameters, maximum error (ME) and coefficient of determination (CD), were used to evaluate the ability of the RZWQM to predict atrazine concentrations in the soil profile. The ME, CD, and other statistical tests indicated that there was a significant difference between predicted and observed atrazine concentrations. Comparison of simulated vs. observed atrazine concentrations with 1:1 line showed that atrazine concentrations were overpredicted, especially in the later part of the growing season. However, the model correctly predicted depth of atrazine penetration in the soil profile. Also, the range of predicted atrazine concentrations was within the same order of magnitude as observed concentrations. Although observed atrazine concentrations were usually higher in surface layers under MB than in NT treatment, the model did not show any consistent tillage effects on atrazine distribution in the soil profile. The results from this simulation study indicated that the following factors may be critical and should be considered when simulating pesticide transport in the subsurface environment: (i) macropore flow, (ii) variation in Koc and pesticide half-life with depth, and (iii) interception of pesticide by surface residue during application