Water management on claypan soils in the midwest

Irrigation scheduling with soil moisture monitoring devices provided the most efficient use of water on claypan soils. Corn was found to be particularly responsive to both drainage and irrigation with average yield increases of 80 bushels per acre over the seven year period of the experiment. Consequently, water management was found to be an important aspect of corn production. Hybrid selection was found to be important to maximize the benefits of water management. Soybeans were found to be less responsive to irrigation than corn. Also, soybeans were found to be more responsive to drainage during the growing season than corn. Soybean variety selection was found to be important to prevent lodging when irrigation was used. Surface drainage is an important practice in water management but irrigation was found to be necessary to prevent yield reduction particularly with corn, when top soil was removed during the construction needed for surface drainage.U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the InteriorOpe