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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Agroecosystems Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #432450
Research Project: Sustainable Intensification in Agricultural Watersheds through Optimized Management and Technology

Location: Agroecosystems Management Research

Title: Data from organic production reduces subsurface nitrate leaching and maintains crop yields in a US Mollisol

Author
item Rogovska, Natalia
item Ruis, Sabrina
item Carney, Derek
item DELATE, KATHLEEN - Iowa State University
item Kovar, John
item O'Brien, Peter
item CAMBARDELLA, CYNTHIA - Former ARS Employee

Submitted to: Ag Data Commons
Publication Type: Database / Dataset
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2026
Publication Date: 3/6/2026
Citation: Rogovska, N.P., Ruis, S.J., Carney, D., Delate, K., Kovar, J.L., O'Brien, P.L., Cambardella, C. 2026. Data from organic production reduces subsurface nitrate leaching and maintains crop yields in a US Mollisol. Ag Data Commons. https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/31370134.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/31370134

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Organic production aims to diversify crop rotation and use organic fertilizer sources to build soil fertility and improve soil health indicators. This data evaluates the impact of organic farming on water quality in artificially drained midwestern Mollisols of central Iowa. This 7-year study compares tile nitrate loss and yields under three cropping systems: (1) conventional corn (Zea mays L)-soybean (Glycine max L.), (2) organic corn–soybean–oat (Avena sativa L.)/alfalfa (Medicago sativa L)–alfalfa, and (3) organic perennial pasture. Nitrogen (N) fertilization consisted of sidedress urea ammonium nitrate for conventional corn (168 kg N ha-1) and spring-applied composted manure for organic corn (168 kg N ha-1) and oats (56 kg N ha-1). The dataset comprises of monthly values of subsurface drainage discharge, flow weighted nitrate concentrations, and the mass of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) in drainage discharge for each of 30 corresponding experimental plots from 2014 to 2020. Dataset also includes annual harvested grain yields corrected to standard moisture content and above-ground biomass yields (excluding grain).