Underground trenches filled with woodchips, called bioreactors, are gaining traction as viable edge-of-field tools to remove nitrogen (N) from the water that drains from agricultural fields. A new study from Iowa State University looked at how woodchip degradation affected the performance and lifespan of these bioreactors.

University of Illinois Extension shares 10 steps growers can take to help reduce nitrates in the plant root zone, reduce delivery of nitrate to the field’s edge, and remove nitrogen at the edge of the field or downstream.