Abstract
Much of Iowa’s agricultural fields have subsurface tile drainage to improve a crop’s growing conditions. Although the tile drainage removes excess water from the field, it also transports nitrate, a water quality impairment, downstream. A relatively new edge-of-field technology, referred to as a denitrification bioreactor, has been developed to reduce the nitrate levels in the tile drainage. The bioreactor is essentially an underground trench filled with woodchips that intercepts the tile drainage. “Good bacteria” in the bioreactor convert the nitrate in the tile drainage into nitrogen gas, improving the water quality.
How to Cite:
Helmers, M. J., Pederson, C. & Hartfiel, L., (2021) “Denitrification Bioreactor in Northeast Iowa”, Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms Progress Reports 2020(1).
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