Agricultural Field Tile and Its Uses

Introduction
Agricultural drainage tile, simply referred to as field tile, is a term for perforated pipe used to
control the water table in a field. In many agricultural settings, too much moisture in the soil is a
serious problem that can cause flooding, devastating yields. This most often occurs in areas
with fine-grain soil types, such as clays and silty clays. In these situations, farmers install field
tile to drain excess water from the soil, resulting in healthier crops and increased yields.
Materials and Structure
Most field tile produced today is made out of High Density Polyethylene, abbreviated as HDPE.
HDPE is a readily available, low-strength plastic with a high chemical resistance. It is
moderately flexible, making it easy to mold and cut. To make up for HDPEs lack of natural
strength, field tile is corrugated, making the pipe rigid enough to be buried underground for long
periods of time. Thin perforations are cut along the circumference of the pipe at varying intervals
to allow water from the soil to flow into the pipe.

Installation
Field Tile is installed underneath the soil surface using a Tile Plow behind a tractor or a Tiling
Machine at soil depths ranging from 2 to 8 feet. The lines of tile going across the field are
spread out at many different widths depending on the amount of water that needs to be
removed from the soil and the soil type. In fine textured soils like clay, tile lines can be as close
together as 20 to 50 feet apart. In large textured soils like sand, tile lines can be spread out to
wider widths of 75 to 150 feet. Each tile line under the soil surface is placed in the soil on a
grade, or slope, to allow the water to flow to the lowest end of the tile line. The lowest end of the
line will connect to a main line of tile that connects all of the lines together. This main line then
discharges the water to an outlet into a drainage ditch, which carries the water away from the
field.

How Does It Work?

Field tile controls the amount of water available to crops by controlling the depth of the water
table in the soil. Water flows into the tile system through the perforations in the pipes and then
flows through the pipes to the outlet. Under most circumstances, a farmers goal is to lower the
water table to the level of the tile line. This prohibits oversaturation of any soil above the tile line,
allowing optimal soil moisture for crop growth. However, in some cases, a farmer may want to
have greater control over the specific depth of the water table. To achieve greater control, he
may install a hydraulic control structure at the end of the tile line. This structure can hold back
some of the water to raise the water table above the tile line.

Benefits to Crops
Field tile benefits crop growth in multiple ways. The most obvious benefit is preventing
oversaturation. Too much water suffocates plant roots and kills crop production. Also, optimal
water conditions enable crop roots to penetrate deeper into the soil. Deeper root growth gives
plants greater access to essential nutrients.
Along with preventing oversaturation, field tile can also decrease the amount of saline salts
found naturally in the soil by carrying away some of the excess salts with the excess water.
Since too much salt is also harmful to plant growth, this process results in higher crop
production and increased yields.
Conclusion
While installing agricultural field tile can be costly, at about $850 to $1500 per acre, the benefits
of installation outweigh the cost in areas where oversaturation of soil commonly occurs. With its
ability to control soil water conditions and increase yields, field tile increases the amount of
farmable land throughout the world and contributes to steadier crop production from year to
year.