Saha et al. (2026) Impact of no-till, cover crop, and tile drainage system on soil moisture dynamics within 0–120 cm soil profile

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-08
• Authors: Ajoy Kumar Saha, John T. McMaine, Todd P. Trooien, Peter J. Sexton, Christopher J. Graham
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110607

Research Groups

• Department of Agriculture, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, USA
• Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky, USA
• Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, South Dakota State University, USA
• Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, South Dakota State Univ., USA

Short Summary

This study evaluates the impact of no-till (NT), cover crop (CC), and tile drainage (TD) on soil moisture dynamics within a 0–120 cm soil profile under rainfed agriculture in the Northern Great Plains. The results show that long-term NT significantly increases average VWC by 3.8% across the profile, primarily due to increased infiltration (+10%) and reduced runoff (-56%).

Objective

• Investigate the impact of no-till (NT), cover crop (CC), and tile drainage (TD) on soil water dynamics within a 0–120 cm soil profile under rainfed agriculture in the Northern Great Plains.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field-scale experiment conducted at the South Dakota State University Southeast Research Farm, Beresford, SD.
• Temporal Scale: Two growing seasons (2021 and 2022) with hourly soil moisture monitoring from April to October.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Soil-Plant-Air-Water (SPAW) model version 6.02.75.
• Data sources: Hourly soil moisture data collected by Sentek Drill & Drop Bluetooth Probes at 12 different depths, climate data from the South Dakota Mesonet.

Main Results

• Long-term no-till significantly increases average VWC by 3.8% across the profile.
• Increased infiltration (+10%) and reduced runoff (-56%) contribute to increased soil moisture under NT.
• Cover crop has minimal overall impact on seasonal VWC, but enhances VWC under adequate precipitation in 2021.
• Tile drainage has no significant impact on VWC.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the effects of long-term conservation practices on soil water dynamics in rainfed agriculture.
• The results highlight the importance of no-till in increasing soil moisture and reducing runoff, contributing to climate resilience and yield stability.

Funding

• This research was funded by [insert funding agency/project/program reference codes].

Citation

@article{Saha2026Impact,
  author = {Saha, Ajoy Kumar and McMaine, John T. and Trooien, Todd P. and Sexton, Peter J. and Graham, Christopher J.},
  title = {Impact of no-till, cover crop, and tile drainage system on soil moisture dynamics within 0–120 cm soil profile},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110607},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110607}
}