Biomass crops are being promoted as environmentally favorable alternatives to fossil fuels or ethanol production from maize (Zea mays L.), particularly across the Corn Belt of the United States. However, there are few if any empirical studies on inorganic N leaching losses from perennial grasses that are harvested on an annual basis, nor has there been empirical evaluation of the hydrologic con...

Evapotranspiration (store and release) soil covers have been proposed as a means to limit acid mine drainage. Soil water balance models, like UNSATH are commonly used to assess the effectiveness of store and release covers. Plant-related attributes are required as inputs to these models. In particular, UNSAT-H requires leaf area index (LAI) and root length density (RLD) inputs. Published LAI an...

there are human and animal health concerns related to drainage systems because nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, can contaminate water supplies. a field study was conducted on consolidated paddy fields of sari agricultural sciences and natural resources university, northern iran (36.3°n, 53.04°e), to determine the effect of subsurface drain depth and spacing on nitrogen (n) and pho...

Concern about NO− 3 leaching and groundwater pollution from corn monoculture has prompted an investigation of alternative production systems that reduce leaching. It is hypothesized that both intercropping and water-table control could increase N uptake and reduce the quantity of N that might be lost due to leaching. This study compared corn (Zea mays L.) with annual Italian rye-grass (Lolium m...