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tile or are opened to allow slow or free
drainage to occur.
Subirrigation
This system is very similar to a
controlled design but with the ability
to add water back into the tile to raise
the water table. Subirrigation requires
the greatest cost, engineering and
maintenance. Irrigation should be
managed to meet the needs of the crop
while keeping in mind the risks involved
with a high water table. The water table
is managed at a level that provides for
crop uptake to meet the water demand
but not so high as to reduce aeration
in the upper root zone and limit crop
development.
Once the type of system to be installed
is determined, a layout can be chosen.
There are two main types of layouts:
targeted (sometimes called random)
and parallel (or pattern) drainage.
In South Dakota, where I am based,
targeted drainage is the most common
layout because it minimizes the up-front
costs by only placing tile in the lower
areas where they will be most effective
in removing water from the field. A
parallel layout is best utilized where the
entire field is poorly drained. It creates a
series of equally spaced lines that covers
an area typically larger than that of a
targeted layout. Parallel drainage has
a greater cost with a greater length of
lines installed, but it also inf luences a
greater area for improved production. A
cost/benefit analysis is very important
to determine your return on investment
when choosing a design layout.
A drainage or subirrigation system
designed for water table management
can have a large inf luence on many
environmental factors. More information
on the effects of tile can be found at
www.igrow.org/agronomy/corn/tile-
drainage-imapct/.
This article is only a brief introduction
into the broad design concepts of
managing water tables. More information
on starting a drainage design can be
found at www.igrow.org/agronomy/
corn/evaluating-tile-drainage-design/.
Daniel Ostrem is a water resource
field specialist with the South Dakota
State University Extension system.
