A simplified modelling approach for pesticide transport in a tile-drained field: the PESTDRAIN model

The paper presents a simplified model called PESTDRAIN. It simulates pesticide transport in a subsurface tile-drained field. It computes surface runoff and tile-drainage flow rates, along with the associated pesticide concentrations, with a variable event-driven time step. PESTDRAIN consists of three coupled modules: SIDRA, SIRUP and SILASOL. SIDRA and SIRUP are the water flow simulation modules in the saturated and unsaturated zones, respectively. SIDRA follows a simplified physically based approach while SIRUP follows a conceptual capacitive approach. SILASOL is the solute transport module for both the saturated and unsaturated zones and is based on transfer functions. It includes simple representations of adsorption and degradation of pesticides. PESTDRAIN was tested on field data sets collected for three drainage seasons at the La Jaillière experimental site in north-western France, for the wheat herbicides isoproturon (IPU) and diflufenican (DFF). After model calibration, relative errors for drainage and surface runoff flows over the season were 14% and 4%, respectively, and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (N) value for drainage discharge was 0.58. A fair reproduction of a high temporal resolution IPU concentration data set in drainage discharge was also obtained (N = 0.28). For the validation data sets, PESTDRAIN was able to simulate accurately drainage discharge with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients of 0.57 and 0.69. The global N was 0.44 for all flow-weighted average weekly concentrations in drainage. Relative errors for the pesticide losses were 2.5% and 35% (IPU), and 60% (DFF). For surface runoff the results were not as accurate, but they remained correct in terms of time location and order of magnitude. Although further validation is necessary with more field data, PESTDRAIN appears as a promising tool for agricultural water management