Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

North Dakota has a short growing season, high irrigation yield potential and climate conditions that vary from the east to the west. Accurate determination of crop water requirements for the different climate areas in the state is critical for irrigation scheduling, efficient water management and water permit management. Lack of recent research on water use by major crops in North Dakota along with significant changes in crop varieties requires an evaluation of existing crop water use models. For the last 15 years the irrigated crop area has been slowly increasing in the state, especially for high value crops. The major irrigated crops in North Dakota are corn, alfalfa, potato, sugarbeet, dry edible beans, small grains (wheat and barley) and soybean. Irrigation is scattered throughout the state with about 25 percent in the southeastern 5 counties, 25 percent in the center of the state and 15 percent in the northwestern part of the state. In the past, most of the research on crop water requirements was conducted in the southeast, and few in the east-central parts of the state and other regions. Actual crop evapotranspiration rates vary among crop types, varieties, growth stages, soil wetness, and climate conditions. This paper reviews past and current crop water use research for major irrigated crops in North Dakota and its vicinity area and provides information on future research needs.