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Personnel
Agronomic Research
Canola Rotation Study
Foundation Seed
Fungicide Research
Insect Trap Monitoring & Insecticide Projects
Livestock Notes
Variety Trial Data
Weather Data
Weed Research
Publications & Handouts |
The
North Central Research Extension Center is located one mile south of
Minot on U.S. 83. The 1200-acre research center was established in
1945 for agricultural field research and pure seed increase. Today, it
specializes in crop research and Extension education activities, and
in foundation seed production. The surrounding area includes the
largest durum wheat producing counties in the state. Forty percent of
the nation's durum is produced in counties served by the Center. The
Center is located on the border of North Dakota's two most prominent
soil and vegetation regions - the dark brown soils of the semi-arid
grassland in the west, and the black soils of central North Dakota's
subhumid grassland.
With gently rolling land and 16.5
inches of annual precipitation, the Center's main research efforts
involve grain variety evaluation, weed control, tillage and fertilizer
tests. Research is conducted on small grains, oilseeds, row crops,
legumes, forages and other specialty crops. Production is evaluated
for no-till and conventional tillage cropping systems.
New research programs include:
profitability of crop rotation for durum, spring wheat and barley in
north-central North Dakota. Included are sunflower, canola, dry bean,
crambe, lentil, dry pea, and mustard. Nitrogen and sulfur fertility
needs of small grains, dry bean and canola, commercialization of dry
pea production and harvest, row spacing and plant population for
sunflower and corn production, the timing of fungicide applications
for canola, chickpea and small-grain disease protection. More than
1,400 owned, rented and contracted acres are planted for Foundation
seed production. This recently increased from 600 acres in response to
producer needs. Extension programs were added to the existing research
site in 1976 to cover 10 surrounding counties and Fort Berthold. A
considerable amount of research and extension educational programs
comes from a small number of experts at the North Central Research
Extension Center.
The seed increase program produces
Foundation seed on approximately 1400 acres of owned, leased and
contract growers’ land. The Center will have 12 crops consisting of 26
varieties available for the 2006-2007 cropping season. Newly released
seed varieties are made available through county crop/agriculture
improvement associations.
Cropping systems and production
studies, seed company variety trials and breeder nurseries are
evaluated in replicated small plot field trials at the Center. Cereal
grains (barley, durum, HRSW, HRWW, oat, winter wheat, winter rye,
corn, millet, triticale, specialty wheats), broadleaf crops (canola,
sunflower, soybean, drybean, safflower, mustard, dry pea, chickpea,
lentil, flax, buckwheat) and many new or alternative crops are
evaluated for their agronomic traits, seed quality and yield. No till
verses conventional tillage systems are evaluated for barley, durum,
HRSW and oat. Soil fertility studies are being conducted in cereal
grains, flax, canola and drybean. Chickpea and lentils are being
evaluated to determine the influence fungicides, planting date and
seeding rate to control the devastating disease ascochyta blight.
Off-station research sites are being conducted to evaluate cereal
grains, pulse crops, soybean, canola and field pea in other counties
throughout north central North Dakota.
Weed control studies are being
conducted in small grains, canola, sunflower, flax, dry bean, pea,
lentil, chickpea and crambe, mustard, corn and soybean. We are
evaluating new herbicides/adjuvants or different uses of existing
products in various crops. Other experiments involve evaluation of the
impact of different cultural practices such as crop rotation and
conventional tillage vs. no-till on crop yield, seed quality, weed
control and economic feasibility. We also conduct IR-4 residue trials
to collect data for registration of pest control products in minor
crops. We work closely with the ND Department of Agriculture in
developing Section 18 packages for EPA. We have studies that target
specific weeds such as Canada thistle, wild oat, foxtails, biennial
wormwood, kochia, common mallow, common milkweed and others.
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