Growing corn and sugar beets with feedlot effluent, air injection, and subsurface drip irrigation system in western Nebraska

Authors: GONZALEZ, HENRY - University Of Nebraska; QIAO, XIN - University Of Nebraska; D'ALESSIO, MATTEO - University Of Mississippi; DISSANAYAKE, D.M.P.B - University Of Nebraska; HEEREN, DEREK - University Of Nebraska; BISWAS, SAPTASHATI - University Of North Dakota; Williams, Clinton; RAY, CHITTARANJAN - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/2022
Publication Date: 1/13/2023
Citation: Gonzalez, H.A., Qiao, X., D'Alessio, M., Dissanayake, D., Heeren, D., Biswas, S., Williams, C.F., Ray, C. 2023. Growing corn and sugar beets with feedlot effluent, air injection, and subsurface drip irrigation system in western Nebraska. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 149(3). https://doi.org/10.1061/JIDEDH.IRENG-9949.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/JIDEDH.IRENG-9949

Interpretive Summary: Irrigated agriculture must often deal with water shortages due to drought. Alternative waters such as effluent from feedlots can be used to supplement traditional water supplies. Additionally, the use of subsurface drip irrigation can limit non-beneficial loss of irrigation water. Effluent from feedlots contain high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, which when released to the soil will lead to rapid mineralization and depletion of soil oxygen. Low oxygen status can lead to stunted root growth and loss of yield. A low energy air injection method was evaluated to determine if additional oxygen in feedlot wastewater could prevent yield loss in corn and sugar beets. Air injection resulted in increased corn yield by 5.5% during the 2019 growing season and 9.2% in the 2021 growing season. In addition, corn water use efficiency was significantly increased in the 2021 growing season. Sugar beet yields were not affected by air injection, however sugar beet water use efficiency was significantly increased in 2019. Overall air injection into feedlot wastewater used for irrigation increased soil oxygen status and increased corn yield in Western Nebraska.

Technical Abstract: As a state with the most irrigated agricultural land in the U.S., irrigation in Nebraska relies on freshwater resources such as groundwater and surface water. In addition to these conventional water sources, using non-conventional alternatives for crop production can be important during water shortage times. In this research, effluent from a feedlot was used as an irrigation water source at a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system for corn (C) and sugar beet (SB) production in Western Nebraska during the 2019 and 2021 growing seasons. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of air injection on corn (C) and sugar beets (SB) yield when using feedlot runoff as an irrigation source in a SDI system. Results indicated that air injection treatment (O), compared to non-injection treatment (NO), increased corn yield by 5.50% in the 2019 growing season, yet differences were not significant. During the 2021 growing season, O significantly increased corn yield by 9.17% (p = 0.04). Differences in water use efficiency (WUE) of NO (23.05 kg ha-1 mm-1) and O (24.05 kg ha-1 mm-1) were not significant during the 2019 growing season while significant differences in WUE of NO (21.78 kg ha-1 mm-1) and O (25.12 kg ha-1 mm-1) were observed during the 2021 growing season (p = 0.001). In terms of sugar beets, no significant difference was observed in crop yield or sucrose yield between O and NO during both growing seasons. During the 2019 growing season, WUE of O (0.19 kg ha-1 mm-1) was significantly higher than NO (0.15 kg ha-1 mm-1) (p = 0.02). During the 2021 growing season, WUE of NO (0.11 kg ha-1 mm-1) and O (0.10 kg ha-1 mm-1) were not significantly different.