Tile Drainage Research Transforms Farming Practices

By Andi Anderson

A new study from the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides one of the clearest explanations of how tile drainage improves the functioning of agricultural landscapes.

While tile drainage has been used for many years, this study built a complete framework showing that soil oxygen plays the central role in how drainage boosts crop growth, soil health, and field resilience.

The study, published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, shows that tile drainage does much more than remove extra water from fields. By lowering soil water content, drainage increases soil oxygen levels.

This shift affects soil hydrology, soil chemistry, and plant growth. When soils have more oxygen, crops experience less oxygen stress during wet springs, allowing healthier root development.

Increased soil oxygen also improves microbial activity, helping organic matter break down faster and nutrients cycle more efficiently.

To understand these changes, the researchers used an advanced model called ecosys, which can simulate soil oxygen movement and oxygen uptake by crop roots.

After comparing their simulations with several years of field data, the team studied how drained and undrained fields behave differently.

According to Kaiyu Guan, the project’s principal investigator, “Previous models that do not explicitly simulate soil oxygen dynamics fail to capture the true impacts of tile drainage, making it hard to accurately predict agriculture outcomes such as yield, nutrient availability, and nutrient leaching. These outcomes and the underlying processes must be understood through the lens of soil oxygen.”

Lead author Zewei Ma explained, “Most models use soil water as a simple proxy for oxygen stress, but without explaining the underlying physical mechanisms that improve crop outcomes. Our work focuses on the central role of oxygen. Its availability depends on the balance between supply (oxygen diffusion through soil) and demand from roots and microbes. This allows us to provide a holistic view of how tile drainage impacts the broader agroecosystem.”

The study highlights several benefits, including improved soil oxygen, stronger root systems, and faster nutrient cycling. It also confirms that tile drainage can increase nitrogen leaching, which means conservation practices are important to protect water quality.

Co-author Bin Peng noted, “This research provides a mechanistic understanding of why drainage benefits crops. It goes far beyond water management; it improves the conditions for microbes and crop roots in the soil. By reducing oxygen stress in the root zone, the plants have greater ability to establish a resilient foundation for the entire growing season.”

Guan added, “As we face a future with more climate extremes, strategic water management is essential for food security. This study gives us a powerful predictive tool to assess where and how tile drainage can best serve as an adaptation strategy, not just for increased yield, but for greater long-term yield stability.”

The findings aim to guide farmers, advisors, and policymakers in pairing drainage systems with conservation practices to support both productivity and environmental sustainability.

Photo Credit: getty-images-elhenyo