Tile Drainage in Wisconsin: Maintaining Tile Drainage Systems
Date
2009-01-01Author
Ruark, Matthew
Cooley, Eric
Panuska, John
Pagel, Joe
Publisher
UW-Madison Division of Extension
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Tile drains play an important role in Wisconsin’s agricultural production systems. Drains alleviate saturated soil conditions, maintaining optimal root zone moisture for plant growth. Saturated soils can kill or damage crops by depriving roots of oxygen. Saturated soils also delay field access and can increase soil compaction if fields are worked. Water-logged soils can cause denitrification, the process where soil bacteria convert nitrate to nitrogen gas, thereby decreasing available nitrogen for plants. Regular maintenance of tile drains is an important management practice to ensure agricultural productivity on tile-drained land in Wisconsin.
Subject
Tile Drainage
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/95126Type
Article
Description
The purpose of this publication is to:
-Provide information on inspecting and maintaining tile drainage systems and
-Present issues to consider when modifying existing tiles or installing new drains.