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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337498
Research Project: Long-term Management of Water Resources in the Central Mississippi River Basin

Location: Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research

Title: Linking plot, field, and watershed runoff and water quality in Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed

Author
item Ghidey, Fessehaie
item Baffaut, Claire
item Lerch, Robert
item Sadler, Edward

Submitted to: International Soil and Water Conservation Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/12/2017
Publication Date: 7/31/2017
Citation: Ghidey, F., Baffaut, C., Lerch, R.N., Sadler, E.J. 2017. Linking plot, field, and watershed runoff and water quality in Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed [abstract]. International Soil and Water Conservation Conference, July 30-August 2, 2017, Madison, Wisconsin. p. 145.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Most water quality studies are conducted at the plot, field, or watershed scale; however, studies that integrate the three scales provide information to scale results obtained at one scale to a greater area. The objective of this study was to analyze runoff and water quality measured (1997-2001) from plot, field and watershed scales located within Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed (GCEW), an agricultural area located in the Northeast Missouri. Two cropping systems were studied at plot and field scales: CS1 was a mulch-till corn-soybean rotation with all inputs incorporated and CS2 was a no-till corn-soybean rotation with herbicide and P surface-applied and N injected. Atrazine, NO3-N and dissolved Phosphorus (P) losses in runoff were measured from replicated 0.34 ha plots, two fields (F1 (34.4 ha) under CS1 and F2 (7.8 ha) under CS2), and 7262 ha watershed (W1). Throughout the study period, 1.0, 1.3, 3.1, 4.0, 3.4% of total atrazine applied, 16.4, 7.6, 15.6, 4.1, 13.1% of the total N applied, and 1.2, 3.3, 2.0, 6.2, 8.2% of the total P applied to CS1, F1, CS2, F2, and W1 were lost to surface runoff, respectively. Analysis of daily unit area runoff and water quality losses using frequency distribution curves, temporal distributions, flow duration curves, and results from process based models will be used to compare and link plot, field, and watershed losses and identify processes that affect the transport of herbicides and nutrients at these three scales.