Oakes Irrigation Research Site
Carrington Research Extension Center * North Dakota State University
P.O. Box 531, Oakes, ND 58474-0531, Voice: (701) 742-2189, FAX: (701) 742-2700, email: rgreenla@ndsuext.nodak.edu

WEATHER AND IRRIGATION 1996

Table 1. Precipitation and temperatures

Table 2. Growing degree units

Table 3. Frost dates and growing season

Table 4. Irrigation amounts

The spring of 1996 was cool and wet, delaying field work and the planting of some crops. Crops developed slowly during the spring. Early summer temperatures were good for crop growth. Warm, but not hot, weather from the end of May through August pushed the crops along. Temperatures were slightly above average in June, below average in July, and near average in August, September, and October. The maximum temperature surpassed 90^o F four times in June, once in August, and once in September. The highest temperature was 94^o F on June 27. Precipitation was below average for April, above average for May, then below average for June, July, and August. In September, excessive rain (7.1 inches - which is over three times the average) delayed harvests and encouraged disease development in some crops. The first frost, on October 2, was a hard frost. Most crops matured before frost.

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Table 1. Precipitation and temperature at the Oakes Irrigation Field Trials.

Month	Precipitation			Average daily temperatures
	1997	15-year average	25-year average	1997	15-year average	25-year average
	---------------- inches -----------------			---------------- o F -----------------
April	0.16			38.4
May	3.80	2.51	2.39	54.1	57.5	56.8
June	1.69	2.85	2.99	69.1	66.3	65.9
July	1.77	3.33	2.93	69.8	70.6	70.7
August	1.27	1.92	1.94	71.1	68.8	68.1
September	7.10	2.31	1.94	57.3	57.4	57.4
October	2.49

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Table 2. Growing degree units¹ at the Oakes Irrigation Field Trials.

Month	1996	10-year average	15-year average
May	227	351	335
June	522	522	494
July	561	603	614
August	620	577	574
September	336	356	329
Total	2266	2408	2346

¹Growing degree units = (Temp_max + Temp_min)/2 - 50.  If Temp_max is greater than 86, then Temp_max = 86. If Temp_min is less than 50, then Temp_min = 50. Temperature is in degrees F.

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Table 3. Dates of last and first frosts.

	1997	10-year average	15-year average
Last frost in spring
less than 32o F	May 10	May 6	May 8
less than 28o F	Apr 29	Apr 29	May 1
First frost in fall
less than 32o F	Oct 2	Sep 28	Sep 24
less than 28o F	Oct 2	Oct 3	Sep 29
Frost free period (days)	145	142.7	139.9

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Table 4. Irrigation water applied, 1996.

Study	Irrigation water applied
	inches
Asparagus preliminary trial	12.0
Broccoli performance trial	11.5
Cabbage studies	13.1
Carrot studies	15.2
Field corn hybrid performance trial	14.0
Edible bean white mold studies	12.7
Herbicide carryover study	13.8
Newspaper recycling study	13.7
Onion studies	15.2
Oriental vegetable performance trials	13.8
Pepper production field	16.5
Pepper hybrid performance trial	14.4
Potato by N rate study	14.0
Pumpkin variety performance trial	14.2
Raspberry preliminary study	6.6
Sweet corn hybrid performance trial	12.7
Tomato studies	14.8
Winter squash variety performance trial	14.2

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Go to Oakes Irrigation Research Site 1996 Annual Report

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