Author
Malone, Robert - Rob | |
Jaynes, Dan | |
Kaspar, Thomas | |
Thorp, Kelly | |
Ma, Liwang | |
James, David | |
KLADIVKO, EILEEN - Purdue University | |
Singer, Jeremy |
Submitted to: ASABE Annual International Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 1/8/2014 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: A fall-planted cover crop is a management practice with multiple benefits including reducing nitrate losses from artificially drained fields. We used the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) to simulate the impact of a cereal rye cover crop on reducing nitrate losses from drained fields across five states in the Midwest. Within the five states, we estimate that a minimum of 3.6 million ha of drained land used to grow corn in rotation with soybean are immediately suitable for cover crops, because they are currently in no-till or ridge-till or are not tilled in the fall. An additional 3 million ha would be suitable, but delaying tillage until spring on these lands would be more difficult to integrate into the current farming systems. Considering the estimated area within the five states that drains to the Mississippi River, cover crops have the potential to reduce nitrate losses from drained fields by 89 million kg yr-1, or about 11% of the total nitrate load in the Mississippi River. We estimate that the cost per kg of nitrate removed in drainage water with cover crops would be from US$3.87 to $10.33 (kg-N)-1, a cost quite competitive with other management practices for reducing nitrate loads in surface waters. |