Claypan soils are often wet and cold in the spring which reduces crop stands, encourages disease, delays planting dates, and results in sub-optimal planting conditions.
Subsurface drainage is uncommon in claypan soils because of the soil properties affecting internal drainage.
The objectives of this research were to determine: 1) the suitability of claypan soils for subsurface drainage using precision farming technology, 2) crop variability and productivity of subsurface drained compared with non-drained claypan soils, and 3) the economic benefit of claypan soils with drainage compared to soils without drainage.