Site specific management techniques and GPS based technology has allowed for the development of field-scale research plots at the Davis Purdue Ag Center. Plot plans and prescription files used in the field are generated with GIS software based on data that has been collected on a site-specific basis. Crop inputs can then be applied based on plot plans in the field using agricultural controllers and monitors. One variable among plots in many cases that cannot be controlled, but can be accounted for in plot designs, are tile drainage patterns. Tile drainage or the lack thereof has a great impact on the consistency of data collected in research plots. Data collection through scouting and combine yield monitors over several crops and years can be used to confirm drainage related patterns and provide data when planning a tile system. A systematic drainage tile system was installed in the fall of 2004 on 40 acres at the Davis Purdue Ag Center to allow for more consistent data collection. Considerations in planning the tile system involved soil types and natural drainage, the size of the field equipment, direction of travel and the area needed for research plots in order to utilize combine mounted yield monitors and other GPS controlled equipment. Flow control structures were also installed so that the water table could be managed and flow monitored and tile water sampled.
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