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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbus, Ohio » Soil Drainage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #92521
Title: CHAPTER 2 - EFFECTS OF INADEQUATE DRAINAGE ON CROP GROWTH AND YIELDS (TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE DRAINAGE MONOGRAPH - AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE)

Author
item EVANS, R - NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV
item Fausey, Norman

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Monograph Series
Publication Type: Monograph
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/4/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Drainage - the practice of removing excess water from land - has been an important management practice for centuries as documented by evidence found in archeological studies. The primary goals of agricultural drainage in humid regions are to provide site trafficability for timely planting and harvesting and to lower the water content of the root zone to provide adequate aeration following excessive rainfall or irrigation. The consequences of inadequate drainage have been studied extensively over the past century. Worldwide, there are thousands of relevant citations; yet, knowledge on the subject is still incomplete. The problem is complex because of the interdependence among the soil, crop, other biota, and climate. A complete review of the literature is beyond the scope of this chapter. Instead, general conclusions based on early work are summarized and more recent literature concerning effects of inadequate drainage on crop growth and yields are presented. The primary mechanisms relating cro responses to excessive soil water are discussed and supported by citation to reviews and research completed since printing of the previous drainage monograph in 1974. Primary attention is given to response functions and models that aid in estimating the effects of water management on crop growth and yield. Finally, recent developments related to flooding tolerance in plants are presented.