North Dakota State University
NDSU Extension Service
No. 197, July 2002
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/spouts
Field Days and Irrigation Tours for 2002
MSIDA Irrigation Tour
Blueberry and Tomato Field Night at Staples, Minnesota
Management of White Mold in Dry Beans
New Irrigated Potato Research Site Near Tappen
Spraying onto a Road is Against the Law
Calibrating a Center Pivot for Chemigation in Five Easy Steps
-------------------------------------------------------------------- MDT-Mountain Daylight Time Hettinger Research Extension Center July 9 5 p.m. MDT (701) 567-4323 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dickinson Research Extension Center July 10 8:30 a.m. MDT (701) 483-2348 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Williston Research Extension Center July 11 8:45 a.m. (701) 774-4315 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Casselton Agronomy Seed Farm July 15 5:30 p.m. (701) 347-4743 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Carrington Irrigation Research Research Extension Center July 16 9 a.m. (701) 652-2951 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Minot North Central Research Extension Center July 17 9 a.m. (701) 857-7679 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sidney, Montana Eastern Ag Research Center July 17 8:30 a.m. MDT (406) 482-2208 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Langdon Research Extension Center July 18 8 a.m. (701) 256-2582 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Staples, Minn. Horticulture Field Day Central Lakes Ag Center July 18 6 p.m. (877) 977-7778 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tappen Area Irrigated Potato Field Day Aug 6 9 a.m. (701) 231-7076 I-94, Pettibone Exit -- north side of freeway -------------------------------------------------------------------- Williston Mon-Dak Ag Field Tours Aug 7 9 a.m. (701) 572-8880 Irrigation Demo Fields -------------------------------------------------------------------- Oakes Irrigation Research Site Aug. 20 9 a.m. (701) 742-2189 -------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------
The Missouri Slope Irrigation Development Association (MSIDA) will be hosting its annual summer irrigation tour July 9. Tour registration will be in the parking lot at Kist Livestock, 1715 40th Ave SE (south side of Memorial Highway) in Mandan between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. The tour schedule is as follows:
9-9:30 a.m. Register and gather at Kist Livestock
10-noon Price feedlot (dairy heifers and beef)
Boeckel's feedlot (purebred Angus and irrigated alfalfa)
Noon Lunch in Hazen
1:30-6 p.m. Site visits in the Hazen/Beulah area (stops to be determined)
6 p.m. Steak supper at the Ron Gunsch Farm
The cost of the tour is $15 or $10 for just the steak supper. You must provide your own transportation or car pool with someone else. For more information, contact Kevin Nelson (701) 663-3012, Allen Wahl (701) 258-3928 or any MSIDA regional director.
Tom Scherer (701) 231-7239
NDSU Extension Agricultural Engineer
tscherer@ndsuext.nodak.edu
University of Minnesota horticultural specialists will lead discussions on tomato mulching, organic practices, blueberry startup and maintenance practices, and small-scale marketing tips on Thursday evening July 18 at the Central Lakes College -- Agriculture Center in Staples. Discussion will be tailored round the interests of potential and existing commercial growers and Master Gardeners. Production practices included in the discussion will be soil pH, fertility, weed control, plastic mulching, trickle irrigation and grower experiences.
Registration is free and opens at 5:30 p.m. The field night will run from 6 p.m. to dusk and take place in the tomato and blueberry planting south of the bus garage. If raining, the horticultural meeting will be held indoors at the Agriculture Center.
Field night is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota Extension Service, UM-Central Region Partnership, UM-College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences and the Central Lakes College -- Agriculture Center.
For more information, contact the UM-Central Region Partnership at 1-877-977-7778.
Jerry Wright (320) 589-1711
University of Minnesota Extension Agricultural Engineer
jwright@umn.edu
White mold or Sclerotinia stem rot, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, can be a very damaging disease of dry bean under favorable conditions. Keeping disease levels to a minimum can be a difficult task some years. Tools used to manage the disease include variety selection, fungicide application, and good irrigation practices.
Although no variety is resistant to white mold, some varieties may perform better than others in the presence of the disease. These "tolerant" varieties should be planted in areas where white mold can be a potential problem. The NDSU Extension Service publication A-654, North Dakota Dry Bean Performance Testing, shows which varieties have a tolerant or susceptible reaction to white mold.
Topsin M (Cerexagri) and T-methyl (Micro Flo) fungicides, which contain the active ingredient thiophanate-methyl, are labeled for white mold management in dry beans. Timing of the fungicide application is critical in achieving the best results. Fungicides should be applied when 10 to 30 percent of the plants have at least one open bloom. Fungicides should not be applied within 28 days prior to harvest.
Applications of a fungicide may be made via airplane, with a ground sprayer or through irrigation sprinklers. Fungicides applied by airplane appear to work better with spray volumes ranging from 7 to 10 gallons per acre (GPA) compared to volumes of 5 GPA or less. When applying by ground, drop nozzles between the rows and a nozzle over the top of the row provide the best coverage. Applying fungicides with a pressure of 100 pounds per square inch (psi) or greater will also increase coverage. When applying through sprinkler irrigation, the system should be set to deliver between 0.1 and 0.25 inches of water per acre. The treated area should not be irrigated 24 to 48 hours after the application to prevent washing the fungicide off.
Scheduling irrigation properly can help reduce white mold development. Research conducted by the University of Minnesota at Staples showed that scheduling irrigation events when the average soil water tension in the upper 10 inches of the soil reached 65 to 75 centibars could reduce the potential for white mold development.
Carl Bradley (701) 231-7056
NDSU Extension Plant Pathologist
cbradley@ndsuext.nodak.edu
A new irrigated research site for potatoes has been established near Tappen, N.D. The Northern Plains Potato Growers' Association purchased the land and a lateral-move irrigation system for the research effort. The irrigated area is approximately 52 acres, of which about 25 acres is being used for potato research this year. The irrigation system is a hose-drag unit with a 6-inch hose conveying 500 gpm from a well on site. The irrigation system has a diesel generator on the control tower that supplies power for an electric propulsion motor on each of the eight towers. Water is applied using Nelson rotators with 20 pounds per square inch (psi) regulators on flexible drops spaced at 18 feet and approximately 5½ feet above the ground.
Experiments at the site include the following studies by North Dakota State University researchers:
The soils at the site are Maddock loamy fine sand and Arvilla sandy loam, two of the most common soils in Kidder County. According to the NRCS Soil Survey, the Maddock soil has an available water holding capacity that ranges from 0.08 to 0.12 in/in (0.96 to 1.44 in/ft) in the top 16 inches. The Arvilla soil has an available water holding capacity that ranges from 0.13 to 0.15 in/in (1.56 to 1.8 in/ft.) in the top 16 inches. If irrigation is scheduled for the potatoes when the soil moisture depletion level reaches 30% (70% remaining or available) in a 1-ft. root management depth, the moisture deficit will be 0.29 to 0.43 inch for the Maddock soil and 0.47 to 0.54 inch for the Arvilla soil. These deficits will be proportionally larger for deeper root zone management depths, but the soils allow little room for irrigation scheduling errors or mechanical breakdowns because potato water use can equal or exceed 0.30 inch of water per day on days that are hot, windy, and dry during the middle of the season.
A field day at the site is planned for 9 a.m. on August 6, 2002. The site is located at the Pettibone exit (No. 217) of Interstate 94, on the north side of the freeway.
Dean Steele (701) 231-7268
Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Dean.Steele@ndsu.nodak.edu
In 1989, the North Dakota Legislature passed a law concerning irrigation systems and roads. Section 61-14-16 of the North Dakota Century Code states:
"No person may place, erect, or operate a sprinkler irrigation system, center pivot irrigation system, or other irrigation works or equipment upon or across a highway, street, or road or in such a manner as to willfully allow water from the irrigation works or equipment to flow or fall upon any highway, street, or road."
The purpose of the law is to protect vehicle occupants. Several accidents have been attributed to water from sprinklers splashing onto windshields and obstructing the drivers view. If you have noticed that the roads near your pivots get wet after irrigation, then it would pay to make sure the endgun shutoffs are working and set correctly. If you use a "big gun" for irrigating, make sure it doesn't get close to the road and watch the wind direction. The penalty for a cited violation is a Class B misdemeanor. More importantly, not spraying roads will prevent lawsuits.
Incidentally, the law does not apply to the transportation of irrigation works or equipment upon a highway, street or road. This means a pivot or big gun can be run across a road or highway as long as it is not spraying water.
Tom Scherer (701) 231-7239
NDSU Agricultural Engineer
tscherer@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Chemigation is the addition of any chemical to the water used for irrigation. In the past, this practice has been called fertigation for adding fertilizer, herbigation when herbicides were added, fungigation for fungicides, etc. Now it is just called chemigation.
Chemigation is a very efficient and effective irrigation management tool when used properly. It is recognized as a best management practice (BMP) for irrigated agriculture. When chemigating, the irrigation water delivery system and the chemical injection equipment must conform to state laws regarding backflow prevention. In addition, pesticide label must state that it can be used for chemigation and can be applied through a center pivot irrigation system.
Center pivot systems are used on over 75 percent of the irrigated land in North Dakota. With the cost of pesticides and liquid fertilizer increasing every year, it's important to properly calibrate a center pivot irrigation system for chemigation. Below are five easy steps to follow to ensure that a center pivot chemigation system is properly calibrated.
Determine the injection rate of the chemical injection pump for a particular setting of the injection rate control knob. This must be done with the irrigation system running so the injection pump is working against the water pipeline pressure. Do this by letting the injection pump draw from a calibrated container on the suction side of the injector pump. Determine the time in minutes to inject 1 gallon of liquid, then use this equation to determine the injection pump rate in gallons per hour:
60 Injector Pump Rate = -------------------------- Minutes to Pump 1 Gallon
Time for one complete revolution in hours
Total area the center pivot covers in acres
Total Gallons Injected = (injector pump rate) x (hours to cover field)
Multiply the field acreage by the chemical rate as specified for the particular chemical and crop. For nitrogen, it would be the pounds N per acre and for pesticides, it would be the rate that is recommended on the label for the particular crop. Use the following equation:
Total Chemical Volume = field acres (step 2) x chemical volume/acre
For nitrogen in the form of UN-28 the supply tank should contain the amount calculated in step 3. However, for most pesticides add water to the supply tank until you have the necessary total volume to be injected (step 3).
When working with many pesticides and dry
chemicals, make sure you have a method to agitate the injector
supply tank to keep the chemicals in solution. Many chemicals
will settle out if not agitated.
For more information on chemigation and calibration of center pivots, contact me and request publication FS-863, Chemigation: Calibrating Systems for Center Pivot Irrigation by Hal Werner, South Dakota State University Extension Agricultural Engineer.
Tom Scherer (701) 231-7239
NDSU Extension Agricultural Engineer
tscherer@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Water Spouts -- No. 197, July 2002
NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Sharon D. Anderson, Director, Fargo, North Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, Vietnam era veterans status, or sexual orientation; and are an equal opportunity employer. This publication will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities upon request, 701/231-7881.