Runoff from a cornfield as affected by tillage and corn canopy: A large-scale simulated-rainfall hydrologic data set for model testing

Abstract

A rainfall simulator was used to apply 5 cm of rainfall in 2 hours to two replicate 624 m2 plots at six times during each of the growing seasons of 1992 and 1993. Because the simulator generated reproducible and time-invariant rainfall intensities, the resulting 24 hydrographs reproducibly reveal the effects of tractor wheel compaction, tillage, soil reconsolidation, surface sealing, and corn canopy development. A time series data set including weather, crop development, soils properties, evapotranspiration, and antecedent soil water is available. These data should provide hydrologic modelers, particularly those interested in modeling runoff with time resolutions of <1 day, with a useful validation data set.