The North Dakota State University Oakes Irrigation Research Center will hold its annual field day July 29. Refreshments and rolls will be served starting at 9 a.m., with the tour beginning at 9:30.

Participants will be able to look at corn grown in 30-inch, 30-inch paired and 15-inch rows at populations ranging from 25,000 to 35,000 plants per acre.

Other stops include no-tilled continuous corn and no-tilled corn on soybean ground utilizing fall strip till.

Both studies include fertilizer nitrogen rates ranging from 15 to 200 pounds per acre to provide data for updated nitrogen recommendations.

Tours of no-tilled onions and sugar beets planted on strip-tilled ground are planned. Several weed control studies on onions also will be discussed.

A study initiated in 2008 to determine the effects of corn stalk removal for cellulosic ethanol production in two no-till rotations (corn-corn, corn-soybean) will be presented. Participants also will have a chance to see 74 corn hybrids and 60 soybean varieties growing under irrigation.

There will be water quality screening available during the day. Samples should be collected in any clean plastic bottle capable of holding 15 to 20 ounces. NDSU Extension Service water quality specialists recommend that people allow their water to run for 30 seconds and then rinse the bottle three times before filling it. If a test for E.coli is required, the samples must be in sterile bottles that can be obtained from your county Extension agent.

The NDSU Oakes Irrigation Research Center is 4.5 miles south of Oakes on North Dakota Highway 1.

NDSU Agriculture Communication