| Title: | Strategic targeting of cropland management using watershed modeling |
| Authors: | Tuppad, P., K.R. Douglas-Mankin and K.A. McVay |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Journal: | Agricultural Engineering International: CIGR Journal |
| Volume (Issue): | 12(3) |
| Pages: | 12-24 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | http://cigrjournal.org/index.php/Ejounral/article/view/1505 |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic and pollutant |
| Primary Application Category: | BMP and/or cropping system assessment |
| Secondary Application Category: | pollutant cycling/loss and transport |
| Watershed Description: | 6.36 km^2 Smokey Hill River in west central Kansas, U.S. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | Paper can be accessed at http://www.cigrjournal.org/index.php/Ejounral/article/viewFile/1505/1369 |
| Abstract: | Effective water-quality protection should target Best Management Practices (BMPs) on watershed areas that
contribute most to water-quality impairment instead of the typical voluntary implementation of practices, which may not be better than a random distribution of BMPs within a watershed. This paper demonstrates a strategic approach for targeting watershed areas to maximize water-quality benefits from BMP implementation. Almost half of the Smoky Hill River Watershed, Kansas, USA is cropland, a major sediment and nutrient source. The impacts of reduced tillage, edge-of-field vegetative filter strips, and contoured-terraced practices on erosion and nutrient loads both overland and at the watershed outlet were evaluated using either random or targeted implementation, based on simulated average subbasin erosion rate. The targeted approach was more effective in reducing sediment and nutrients, both at subbasin and watershed levels. Annual average overland pollutant load reductions of 10% required BMP adoption on less than half the land area with targeted versus random placement. The benefits of targeting were greater for initial increments of BMP adoption and decreased as implementation area increased. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | targeting, conservation practices, erosion, SWAT modeling, watershed |