CONTENTS

Project Summary 4

I. Production of Cabbage

1. Evaluation of Cabbage Cultivars at Fargo 7
2. Evaluation of Cabbage Cultivars at Oakes 11
3. Cultivar Performance at Other Sites 14
4. Cabbage Storage Evaluation 14

II. Production of Carrots

1. Evaluation of Carrot Cultivars at Absaraka 15
2. Evaluation of Carrot Cultivars at Oakes 21
3. Evaluation of Carrot Cultivars at Hatton 25
4. Evaluation of Carrot Cultivars at Karlsruhe 26
5. Evaluation of Carrot Cultivars at Prosper 26
6. Quality Evaluation of Commercial Carrots 28

III. Production of Onions

1. Evaluation of Onion Cultivars at Absaraka 30
2. Evaluation of Onion Cultivars at Oakes 32
3. Evaluation of Onion Cultivars at Prosper 34
4. Evaluation of Onion Cultivars at Other Sites 35
5. Onion Storage Evaluation 36
6. Onion Sprout Control Evaluation 36

IV. Production of Other Crops

1. Evaluations of Muskmelon at Fargo 37
2. Evaluations of Garlic at Fargo 40

V. Appendices

1. List of Seed Sources 41
2. Weather Data 42
3. List of Figures 44
4. Pictures of Selected Cultivars 46

LIST OF TABLES

1. Performance of cabbage cultivars grown at Fargo 8
2. The quality evaluations of cabbage cultivars grown at Fargo 10
3. Fresh market performance of cabbage grown at Oakes 12
4. Slaw market performance of cabbage grown at Oakes 13
5. Evaluation of storage cabbage from Fargo 14
6. Performance of carrot cultivars grown at Absaraka (early harvest) 16
7. Performance of carrot cultivars grown at Absaraka (late harvest) 17
8. Results of quality evaluations on carrots grown at Absaraka 19
9. Six month evaluation of storage carrots from Absaraka 20
10. Performance of carrot cultivars grown at Oakes (harvest 1) 22
11. Performance of carrot cultivars grown at Oakes (harvest 2) 23
12. Performance of carrot cultivars grown at Oakes (harvest 3) 24
13. Performance of carrots grown near Hatton 25
14. Results of carrot evaluations at Karlsruhe 26
15. Effect of nitrogen application on the growth of carrots at Prosper 27
16. Evaluation of locally grown commercial carrots 28
17. Evaluation of commercial carrots sold in local grocery stores 29
18. Performance of onion cultivars grown at Absaraka 31
19. Performance of onion cultivars grown at Oakes 33
20. Effect of nitrogen levels on onion growth at Prosper 34
21. Evaluations of onions at Hatton 35
22. Evaluations of onions at Kindred 35
23. Effect of cold storage on onions grown at Absaraka 36
24. Results of onion sprout control evaluation at Oakes 36
25. Performance of melon cultivars grown at Fargo 38
26. Sensory evaluation of melons grown at Fargo 39
27. Evaluation of garlic cultivars grown at Fargo 40

SUMMARY

Acreage devoted to vegetable production in North Dakota has now reached about 3,000 acres. An increasingly large number of farmers are finding vegetable crops an attractive source of extra income, and the support facility necessary for processing, marketing, and storage of these crops has become more available to North Dakota growers.

This research program provides data from the vegetable industry research program at NDSU for 1995, and from other cooperating sites. Cultivar trials for several crops were not satisfactory this year due to inconsistent germination and rapidly changing moisture levels in the plots, therefore, the quantity of data may be somewhat less than in previous years. This research is funded by the North Dakota Agricultural Production Utilization Commission with contributions from growers.

Cultivar trials and evaluations were carried out at Fargo, Oakes, Prosper, Absaraka, Kindred, Hatton, and Karlsruhe in 1995. Data are presented for cabbage, carrot, onion, and muskmelon.

Cabbage cultivar trials at NDSU were subject to both extreme moisture and dryness during the course of the growing season. Jingan #1 was the best yielding cultivar at 45,700 pounds per acre. Fresco, Blue Vantage, Bronco, and Morris were the next highest-yielding cultivars in decreasing order of tonnage produced. A short term vacuum-packed storage study is now complete for 5 cultivars. Bronco performed the best among the five cultivars tested. Fresco performed the worst.

Carrots of varieties Choctaw, Navajo, and Apache were evaluated in four fields to determine the growth rate and effects of planting time. Results were variable, but favored an early planting date both in terms of growth and sugar content. Other studies show quality characteristics of carrots from various sites.

Onions were evaluated at two sites. The five best cultivars overall were Bullring, Cache, Santos, Sweet Amber, and XPH 93387 which performed above average in sensory trials as well as having high yields and good size. Nitrogen, potassium, and sugar data were taken for the cultivars in this trial.

I. PRODUCTION OF CABBAGE

In 1995, the commercial production of cabbage in North Dakota was limited to about 100 acres, due to low market values experienced in the previous year. In addition, one large grower in Cavalier drastically reduced cabbage production. While there is potential for increased cabbage cultivation for supplying fresh products to fresh and lightly processed markets, the rejection of North Dakota grown cabbages by local packaging companies was the main reason for stagnation of cabbage production in North Dakota. None of the growers currently has facility to rapidly cool and store cabbages for steady supply to these markets. Cultivars vary in their ability to maintain superior quality after vacuum packing, and the shelf life of the vacuum packed shredded cabbages is greatly affected by proper cooling and storage conditions. Growers in Hatton and Hillsboro are considering the cooling storage of cabbages and other vegetables.

1. Evaluation of Cabbage Cultivars at Fargo

Twenty eight cultivars of cabbage were evaluated on the campus farm of North Dakota State University. While a large portion of these cultivars were previously tested, some new cultivars received from various seed companies were added to this year's evaluation.

a. Cultivars

Blue Pak, Blue Thunder, Blue Vantage, Bravo, Bronco, Cardinal (Red), Charmant, Cheers, Farao, Fortress, Fresco, Gideon, Gourmet, Grand Prize, Grand Slam, Green Boy, Green Cup, Jingan #1, King Cole, Morris, Rio Verde, Royal Vantage, Ruby Ball (Red), Super Elite, Super Red 77 (Red), Titanic, Tropicana, and XPH 5781.

b. Plant Establishment

Cabbage was seeded into flats containing Sunshine Mix #1 on April 22, 1995. The seedlings were grown in the greenhouse and were transplanted to the field on May 30, 1995. Plants were spaced 24 inches apart in rows spaced 48 inches apart. Each cultivar had 20 plants per plot with 4 replications.

c. Cultural Procedures

Fertilizer was applied at a rate of 50 lbs/acre prior to planting. Plants were watered as needed with an overhead sprinkler system during the early stage of growth, thereafter no irrigation was provided. Hand weeding and mechanical cultivation were used for weed control. Pyreth-It (pyrethrin) was used for zebra caterpillar and cabbage worm control, on three occasions from late July through early September. The trial field was saturated for 2 weeks in June and was dry for 3 weeks in July and August due to inadequate precipitation.

¹ Measured on a scale of 1 (loose) to 5 (dense);
² Measured by a refractometer;
³ Estimated at 24" plant spacing on rows 48" apart.

d. Plant Performance

Plant growth was below average this year for most cultivars. The plants used in obtaining this data were harvested October 14, 1995, at which time growth and yield characteristics were determined. Plant measurements were taken on trimmed heads after harvest. The Red cultivars continued to show slower average growth compared to several green cultivars. Irregular precipitation, including a period of saturation and a period of drought, likely detracted from growth characteristics.

e. Best Cultivars

In decreasing order of tonnage produced, the top five high-yielding cultivars were Jingan #1, Fresco, Blue Vantage, Bronco, and Morris.

2. Performance of Cabbage Cultivars at Carrington

a. Cultivars:

Blue Thunder, Cardinal (Red), Copenhagen Market, King Cole, Titanic, and Tropicana.

b. Procedures

Seeds were planted in cell packs in the greenhouse on April 22, 1995, and seedlings were transplanted into the field at Carrington Research Extension Center. Seedlings were 24" apart on rows space 36" apart. The plot was overhead irrigated as needed. Plants were harvested on September 25, 1995.

c. Results

The average head sizes ranged from 15 cm to 20 cm in diameter. The average head weights ranged from 1.6 to 2.8 kg/head. The yield estimates for the six cabbage cultivars are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Performance of cabbage cultivars at Carrington, North Dakota

¹ Seed sources are: HM -Harris-Moran, CH - Alf Christenson, FM - Ferry-Morse, PS - Petoseed
² Yields were estimated by 24" plant spacing on rows 36" apart.

2. Cabbage Storage Studies

The cabbages grown in the Red River Valley region are mostly sold in the fresh markets. There is a window of opportunity for marketing cabbages through processors who shred the cabbage heads into 1/8" strips and vacuum pack. A local company located in Moorhead, MN, is buying cabbages shipped by California growers. Two local cabbage growers sent their products to one of the processors for quality evaluations. According to the growers, the locally grown cabbages failed to meet the quality standard, mainly because the shredded, vacuum packed tissues collapsed after two weeks of storage. We tested the shelf life of selected cabbage cultivars following the same procedures used by the industry.

a. Packaging Material

The bags being used in this study were obtained from Cryovac, a division of W.R. Grace Inc. In approximately 20% of bags which appeared sealed after processing, the seal had ruptured or was incomplete as observed at the end of the storage period. Despite adjustment of the sealing time and vacuum level, this problem remained. This problem may have impacted the data represented in this study, although to what extent and in what manner can not be conjectured.

b. Procedures

Following removal of the outer leaves, the core of each head was removed and the remaining portion was manually cut into quarters. This material was then sliced using a commercial meat slicer. The slicer was set at approximately 1/8".

For each variety, four bags were packed using from 650 to 1250 grams of cabbage depending on the amount of material available. A commercial vacuum packer was used to in the preparation of the samples, and a high to moderate vacuum and seal time worked best overall.

Each of the bags was labeled with the cultivar name, bag number, and the date of packaging. One bag per cultivar was then opened and tested at intervals of 7, 12, 16, and 25 days. A sensory assessment was performed, and weight change and soluble sugar content were also checked.

c. Trends

Soluble sugar fluctuated between and within the various cultivars. Typically, the end sugar levels were slightly to moderately lower than those observed in the unpacked cabbage. Weight changes in the packages are not deemed significant, and may merely reflect differences in scales used at the packaging site and the testing site.

d. Results

Of the five cultivars for which all data have been assessed, Bronco has the most favorable characteristics for sealed vacuum storage. Fresco has the least favorable data, and the other three cultivars (Grand Slam, Jingen #1, and Ruby Ball) are intermediate. Though analysis of several additional cultivars is not yet complete, Fortress, Cheers, and Gourmet show promising storage characteristics which may equal or surpass those of the cultivars in this initial study.

1. Seedlings were transplanted on June 4, 1996, and heads were harvested on October 1, 1996.

2. Head density was determined visually using a scale of 1-5 (1=loose, 5=dense).

3. Percent soluble sugar was determined using a refractometer.

4. Yield was estimated based on 24 inch spacing between plants and 48 inches between rows.

1996 Evaluations of Cabbage Cultivars in Oakes, North Dakota

Cabbage grows well in the cool climate of North Dakota, but cabbage production is limited due to market uncertainty and lack of information on available hybrids. Data were collected to determine suitability of the hybrids for both the fresh and slaw markets.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Soil:	Hecla sandy loam and Embden sandy loam; pH=6.9; 2.8% organic matter; soil-P was high; soil-K was medium; soil-S was very low.
Previous crops:	1995 - tomato and pepper; 1994 - pumpkin; 1993 - field corn.
Seedbed preparation:	Disked on April 22. Multiweeded (field cultivated) three times on April 22, once to incorporate fertilizer and twice to incorporate herbicide.
Planting:	Direct seeded on April 23 with a Stanhay vegetable planter. Seeds were spaced about 7 inches apart in 17-inch rows. Plants were later thinned to 15 inches apart (about 26,000 plants/acre). Seeds were placed about ½ to 3/4 inches deep into a flat, fine seedbed.
Plots:	Main plots were 34 ft long by one row (17 inches) wide. Each main plot was divided into 2, 17 ft long sections. The study had 4 reps.
Fertilizer:	On April 17, broadcast 14 lbs N/acre and 70 lbs P2O5/acre as 10-50-0, 16 lbs N/acre and 19 lbs S/acre as 21-0-0-24, and 94 lbs K20/acre as 0-0-60. Sprayed 35 lbs N/acre as 28-0-0 on April 22. Side dressed with 110 lbs N/acre as urea on July 8.
Irrigation:	Surface drip irrigation as needed.
Pest Control:	Weeds were controlled using Treflan and Devrinol (1 pt and 2 lb/acre applied preplant incorporated on April 22), Dacthal (8 lbs/acre on April 24), Lentagran (2 lbs/acre on June 7), and by hand weeding. Sevin (1.5 pts/acre on May 29) controlled flea beetles. Cabbage was sprayed with Javelin (1 lb/acre on July 15), with Asana (8 oz/acre on July 10, July 26, and Aug 2), and with DiPel (1 lb/acre on Aug 9) to control cabbage looper and cabbage worm.
Harvest:	One section of each main plot was hand harvested when heads were firm and of marketable size (early harvest). The other section was harvested about two weeks later (late harvest). Cabbage head characteristics were measured on representative cabbage heads selected at each harvest from each plot.

RESULTS

Yields were higher this year than in 1995. Some of the better fresh market hybrids were Columbia, Atlantis, Blue Pak, Fresco, Ramada and Gideon. Columbia, Fresco, Atlantis, Royal Vantage, Ramada and Grand Prize were the best for slaw cabbage. Super Red 80 (fresh market) and Regal Red (slaw market) were the best red hybrids. See Tables 9 to 12.

Table 9. Yield data, overall quality and head shape of early (fresh market) cabbage in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 cabbage hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ harvest spread ² per acre yield score shape ³ size

Green cabbage

Amtrak BZ Not harvested due to very late maturity

Atlantis PS 110.8 25 22.1 47.3 6.0 3.1 4.3

Blue Pak FM 112.4 17 21.6 41.4 6.2 3.2 3.9

Columbia PS 106.2 20 25.9 49.1 6.1 4.8 3.8

Columbia JS 102.9 17 22.1 39.9 6.0 3.2 3.6

Fortress FM 118.0 21 23.1 35.8 4.3 3.2 3.1

Fresco BZ 113.6 23 24.0 50.3 6.3 2.9 4.2

Gideon BZ 123.7 19 24.1 52.8 7.1 3.5 4.4

Gourmet FM 110.9 13 22.2 48.9 3.5 2.5 4.4

Grand Prize PS 119.1 28 21.1 50.8 5.8 2.9 4.8

Hinova BZ 133.7 13 15.4 43.6 7.5 3.1 5.7

King Cole FM 103.1 16 21.1 39.0 4.1 3.0 3.7

Ramada SW 117.7 21 21.1 47.2 7.3 3.0 4.5

Rocket JS 98.8 12 23.1 40.8 5.2 3.0 3.5

Royal Vantage SK 120.6 24 27.9 44.7 6.0 3.4 3.2

Saratoga BZ Not harvested due to very late maturity

Storage #4 JS 129.8 15 16.8 38.0 7.0 3.6 4.6

Titanic FM 105.8 21 20.2 46.4 3.6 2.7 4.7

Vantage Point SK 126.8 31 17.3 46.5 6.9 3.0 5.4

Red cabbage

Autoro BZ 129.3 17 15.9 19.2 6.3 4.4 2.5

Azurro BZ 108.9 11 20.2 19.2 4.8 3.9 1.9

Regal Red JS 107.8 20 24.0 29.5 3.9 3.7 2.5

Super Red 80 JS 110.1 20 26.4 32.4 6.0 3.5 2.5

² Harvest spread is the number of days between first head ready to harvest until last head in plot ready to harvest.

³ Head shape: 1 is very flat; 2 is flat; 3 is round; 4 is tall; 5 is very tall.

Table 10. Cabbage head characteristics for early (fresh market) harvest in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 cabbage hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ polar equator density ² inside ³ outside ⁴ length width

Green cabbage

Atlantis PS 6.4 6.4 2.6 1.5 3.1 2.7 1.0

Blue Pak FM 6.5 6.1 2.7 1.5 3.2 2.9 1.0

Columbia PS 6.9 6.3 2.8 1.3 3.0 3.6 1.1

Columbia JS 6.5 6.2 2.5 1.7 3.4 3.3 1.0

Fortress FM 6.0 6.0 1.8 2.0 3.0 3.6 1.0

Fresco BZ 6.4 6.4 2.5 1.6 3.0 3.2 1.0

Gideon BZ 6.5 5.9 3.0 2.1 3.1 3.2 1.2

Gourmet FM 6.5 7.0 1.6 1.6 3.1 4.2 1.0

Grand Prize PS 6.6 6.8 2.2 1.9 3.4 3.8 1.2

Hinova BZ 6.8 6.6 3.0 2.5 3.0 3.0 1.1

King Cole FM 6.8 6.5 1.8 1.9 3.1 4.1 1.2

Ramada SW 6.2 6.3 3.0 1.9 3.1 2.7 1.3

Rocket JS 6.3 6.3 1.7 1.6 2.7 3.4 1.0

Royal Vantage SK 6.3 6.0 2.3 1.7 3.1 2.8 0.9

Storage #4 JS 6.6 6.0 3.0 2.4 3.0 3.6 1.3

Titanic FM 6.9 7.3 1.7 1.8 2.8 3.9 1.2

Vantage Point SK 7.1 7.1 2.8 1.1 3.0 4.2 1.1

Red cabbage

Autoro BZ 6.4 4.7 3.0 7.5 7.2 3.0 1.1

Azurro BZ 5.6 4.8 2.2 7.6 7.1 2.9 0.9

Regal Red JS 6.0 5.2 1.5 7.4 7.0 3.3 0.9

Super Red 80 JS 5.8 5.3 2.9 7.0 7.0 2.6 1.0

² Visual estimate of head density. The higher the number the more dense the head.

³ Inside color: 1 is whitish green; 2 is yellow green; 3 is light green; 7 is medium purple; 8 is dark purple.

⁴ Outside color: 2 to 4 is light to dark green; 5 - blue green; 6 - red green; 7 - purple green; 8 - purple.

Table 11. Late (slaw market) harvest data and cabbage head color for the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996.

seed days to heads overall head color ³

Hybrid source ¹ harvest ² per acre yield score outside inside

Green cabbage

Amtrak BZ Not harvested due to very late maturity

Atlantis PS 127 21.6 65.0 7.3 3.4 1.5

Blue Pak FM 125 23.1 53.2 6.3 3.0 1.8

Columbia JS 122 23.1 58.0 7.1 3.0 1.4

Columbia PS 120 23.1 61.1 7.0 3.1 1.3

Fortress FM 135 19.2 51.2 6.0 3.1 1.6

Fresco BZ 127 26.4 78.1 7.4 3.0 1.4

Gideon BZ 147 18.7 59.0 7.9 3.2 3.0

Gourmet FM 124 21.8 68.1 4.4 3.0 1.5

Grand Prize PS 134 23.0 67.2 6.1 3.0 2.1

Hinova BZ 156 21.1 56.3 7.7 3.2 2.7

King Cole FM 115 20.7 61.5 4.8 3.3 2.0

Ramada SW 138 25.0 78.9 7.4 3.0 2.0

Rocket JS 114 18.7 42.2 5.8 3.0 1.3

Royal Vantage SK 128 26.4 65.1 7.3 3.0 1.4

Saratoga JS Not harvested due to very late maturity

Storage #4 JS 152 19.2 48.2 7.7 3.0 2.7

Titanic FM 122 21.6 71.4 5.3 3.0 2.0

Vantage Point SK 149 21.6 57.0 8.2 2.9 1.2

Red cabbage

Autoro BZ 153 24.5 43.8 7.4 7.0 7.5

Azurro BZ 125 23.1 39.0 4.9 7.0 7.9

Regal Red JS 127 28.8 55.8 6.1 7.0 7.6

Super Red 80 JS 126 29.3 44.6 6.8 7.0 7.4

² Head color: outside - 1=yellow green, 2 to 4=light to dark green, 5=bluish green, 6=reddish green, 7=purple green, 8=purple, 9=red.

inside - 1=whitish green, 2=yellow green, 3 to 5=light to dark green, 6 to 8=light to dark purple, 9=red.

³ Yield and heads per acre reduced due to some plots not maturing on time.

Table 12. Cabbage head characteristics for the late (slaw market) harvest in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996.

Hybrid source ¹ shape ² density ³ polar equatorial length width

Green cabbage

Atlantis PS 2.5 2.9 7.0 7.4 3.5 1.2

Blue Pak FM 3.3 2.5 7.0 6.8 3.1 1.2

Columbia JS 3.0 3.0 6.9 7.0 3.6 0.9

Columbia PS 3.5 2.8 7.6 7.3 3.7 1.2

Fortress FM 2.3 2.5 6.6 7.3 4.1 1.0

Fresco BZ 3.0 2.5 7.7 7.7 3.9 1.1

Gideon BZ 3.0 3.0 7.4 7.1 3.5 1.2

Gourmet FM 3.0 1.6 7.2 7.6 4.4 1.1

Grand Prize PS 2.8 2.3 7.4 7.9 3.5 1.3

Hinova BZ 2.6 3.0 7.1 7.3 2.5 1.1

King Cole FM 3.0 2.0 7.6 7.7 4.5 1.2

Ramada SW 2.8 3.0 7.4 7.7 3.3 1.4

Rocket JS 3.0 3.0 7.2 7.5 4.4 1.1

Royal Vantage SK 3.0 2.6 7.1 7.0 3.3 1.1

Storage #4 JS 3.0 3.0 7.2 6.9 3.8 1.4

Titanic FM 2.9 2.0 7.3 7.6 4.3 1.3

Vantage Point SK 3.1 3.0 7.2 7.0 4.3 1.1

Red cabbage

Autoro BZ 4.1 3.0 6.7 5.5 2.9 1.1

Azurro BZ 3.8 2.9 6.5 6.0 3.5 0.9

Regal Red JS 3.3 2.6 6.9 6.7 4.0 1.0

Super Red 80 JS 3.5 2.9 6.3 5.8 2.5 0.9

² Head shape - 1 is very flat; 2 is flat; 3 is round; 4 is tall.

³ Head density - 1 to 3; 1 is loose and 3 is solid.

II. PRODUCTION OF CARROTS

1. Evaluation of Carrot Quality at Commercial Sites

a. Carrots Grown Near Leonard

1) Apache planted on May 1, 1995

The table below shows data for Apache carrots. Planting date for this field was May 1, 1995. Overhead irrigation was used on raised beds with row spacing of 20 inches. Mechanical cultivation was used as needed for weed control. The sweetness of carrots from this field was excellent this year, with an end average value of 10.2% by 10/4/95 and some carrots with soluble sugar of 10.1% by August 22.

Cultivar	Date	Weight (g/head)	Diam. (cm)	Length (cm)	Cortex width (cm)	Xylem diam (cm)	Soluble sugar (%)	Dry weight (g)	Yield (t/acre)
Apache	8/09/95	126.0	3.8	22.6	0.9	1.5	6.7	9.90	18.3
	8/22/95	141.3	3.9	20.8	0.9	1.9	8.6	11.20	20.5
	8/29/95	149.0	4.0	23.8	0.9	2.6	8.6	10.67	21.6
	10/4/95	335.9	4.9	24.3	1.0	2.5	10.2	10.20	48.8

2) Choctaw Planted on May 12, 1995

The first Choctaw field was planted May 12, 1995. It showed good growth and quality throughout the season. The same cultural practices as above were used on this field.

Cultivar	Date	Weight (g/head)	Diam (cm)	Length (cm)	Cortex width (cm)	Xylem diam. (cm)	Soluble sugar (%)	Dry weight (%)	Yield (t/acre)
Choctaw	8/09/95	84.8	3.4	24.6	0.7	1.3	11.2	10.64	12.3
	8/22/95	125.4	3.5	23.7	0.9	2.1	8.2	10.10	18.2
	8/29/95	193.4	4.6	23.6	1.0	2.8	10.1	11.25	28.1
	10/4/95	267.3	4.8	24.1	1.1	2.9	9.5	13.04	38.9

3) Choctaw planted on June 10, 1995

The second field planted with Choctaw cultivar was put in on June 10, 1995. The same cultural practices mentioned for other fields above were used for this field. Quality performance on this plot was low compared with other fields/varieties, and total yield was also below average. It is likely that the later planting date of this field was responsible for its decreased performance. By looking at the Choctaw cultivar field planted May 12 and this plot, some interesting points can be made. The later-planted field had an average root weight of 150.0 at 3 months (9/08/95) when the earlier-planted field had an average root weight of 84.8 at approximately 3 months (8/9/95), although sugar content was higher by 2.3% in the earlier field at 3 months. Although certainly not conclusive, this may reflect a tendency toward faster growth with less carbohydrate storage when planted later in the season.

Cultivar	Date	Weight (g/head)	Diam. (cm)	Length (cm)	Cortex width (cm)	Xylem diam (cm)	Soluble sugar (%)	Dry weight (%)	Yield (t/acre)
Choctaw	8/09/95	18.1	1.6	22.2	0.4	0.6	10.1	13.34	2.6
	8/22/95	35.9	1.9	21.6	0.6	0.9	9.9	12.00	5.2
	8/29/95	74.1	2.4	24.3	0.7	1.2	8.1	10.04	10.8
	9/08/95	150.0	3.8	25.7	0.8	2.4	8.9	-	21.8
	10/4/95	164.1	4.1	20.1	1.0	2.1	9.7	11.93	23.8

4) Navajo and Apache planted on May 20, 1995

This field was planted with Apache and Navajo on May 20, 1995. This may have contributed to minor inconsistencies within this data. The field showed good development throughout the season, with some moderate levels of aster yellows in isolated portions.

Cultivar	Date	Weight (g/head)	Diam. (cm)	Length (cm)	Cortex width (cm)	Xylem diam. (cm)	Soluble sugar (%)	Dry weight (%)	Yield (t/acre)
Apache/ Navajo	8/09/95	90.2	3.1	29.2	0.7	1.2	7.7	11.01	13.1
	8/22/95	59.9	2.5	21.1	0.7	1.6	8.1	9.32	8.6
	8/29/95	110.1	3.4	19.0	0.8	2.0	8.0	9.83	15.9
	10/4/95	278.1	5.0	22.8	1.2	2.7	9.1	13.19	40.3

b. Carrot Evaluations at Hatton

The following data was obtained from carrots commercially grown in and around Hatton, North Dakota.

Cultivar name/rep number/ date of harvest	Fresh weight (g)	Length (cm)	Diam (cm)	Dry weight (%)	Xylem diam (cm)	Cortex width (cm)	Xylem soluble sugar (%)	Cortex soluble sugar (%)
Bolero 1-10/24	193.3	19.7	4.4	12.5	2.2	1.42	9.9	10.9
Bolero 2-10/24	149.0	29.7	3.7	12.7	2.0	1.08	9.5	11.4
Bolero 1-10/31	267.3	21.4	4.5	12.1	2.3	1.38	8.7	10.5
Bolero 2-10/31	278.0	19.2	5.1	12.3	2.5	1.52	8.8	10.4
Coral II 1-10/24	209.7	17.7	4.7	12.2	2.1	1.46	8.3	9.9

c. Carrot Evaluations at Hillsboro

The following data was obtained from carrots commercially grown near Hillsboro, ND. The samples were collected September 23, 1995.

Cultivar	Weight (g)	Diam (cm)	Length (cm)	Xylem diam. (cm)	Cortex width (cm)	Xylem soluble sugar (%)	Cortex soluble sugar (%)	Dry weight (%)	Yield (t/acre)
Bolero	184.2	5.3	16.6	2.85	1.1	9.4	11.9	-	41.3
Danvers 126	279.2	5.5	19.0	4.0	1.2	6.3	9.7	13.4	53.5

2. Evaluation of Carrots Grown at Oakes in 1995.

Cultivars

Cultivars evaluated were: Apache, Artist, 24 Karat, Bolero, Choctaw, Coral II, Earlibird Nantes, Nanco, Napoli, Navajo, Nelson, Presto, Primo, PSITI89, Rondino, and Royal Class.

Summary

The Oakes grown carrots performed well this year. The sweetest variety was Nelson, with an average soluble sugar of 11.8%. The variety with the highest average root weight was Royal Cross with 431.4 g/root average.

Table 8. Evaluation of carrots grown at Oakes, North Dakota, in 1995.

Cultivar	Avg weight (g/root)	Avg root length (cm)	Root diam, (cm)	Xylem diam. (cm)	Cortex width (cm)	Dry weight (%)	Soluble sugar (%)
24 Karat	188.4	24.8	4.4	2.5	0.9	13.2	8.8
Apache	222.5	23.5	4.6	2.7	0.9	13.3	10.0
Artist	174.2	19.1	4.5	2.2	1.2	13.5	10.3
Bolero	271.9	20.6	5.3	3.2	1.1	11.7	9.6
Choctaw	243.2	20.4	5.0	2.9	1.2	12.9	10.0
Coral II	246.9	17.3	6.0	3.5	1.3	11.3	9.1
Earlibird Nantes	166.9	15.1	4.2	2.3	1.1	10.2	7.6
Nanco	117.5	16.1	3.6	1.6	1.1	11.3	9.7
Napoli	157.7	16.5	4.1	2.1	1.2	13.9	8.5
Navajo	220.2	22.4	4.3	2.4	1.0	12.5	10.4
Nelson	163.3	18.1	4.2	2.2	1.0	14.8	11.8
Presto	139.6	16.3	4.0	1.8	1.1	9.9	8.0
Primo	162.6	16.4	4.5	2.2	1.1	11.8	9.1
PSITI89	154.6	19.9	4.1	2.4	1.1	13.0	10.6
Rondino	209.0	18.4	4.6	2.4	1.1	11.2	9.3
Royal Class	431.4	16.0	7.6	5.2	1.2	12.7	10.0

3. Nitrogen fertilization Study on Carrots at Absaraka

Methods

'Artist' carrots were planted into randomly assigned plots which received varying levels of nitrogen fertilization. Nitrogen fertilization levels were adjusted to 70 lbs/acre, 140 lbs/acre, 210 lbs/acre, 280 lbs/acre, 350 lbs/acre and a control group which received no nitrogen fertilization.

Results

Sugar content was highest in the 140 lb group, although no trend was found to correlate soluble sugar with any other factor assessed in this study. Nitrate level increased with heavier fertilization, although uptake or storage of nitrate apparently became less efficient at higher soil concentrations.

Root weight was not significantly influenced by fertilization level in this study. One interesting point is to be made concerning the 210 lb group. Having the highest pH and K⁺ concentration of all the groups, it also performed the worst in sensory evaluations.

Table 9. Effect of nitrogen levels on tissue nitrogen and potassium, pH and soluble sugar contents of carrot roots.

Nitrogen (lbs/acre)	Bulk NO3- (ppm)	Bulk K+ (ppm)	Bulk pH (pH)	Soluble sugar (ppm)	Fresh weight (g/root)
control	440	1,840	6.0	10.8	222.8
70	618	1,673	6.1	10.4	218.6
140	920	1,860	6.1	10.9	216.1
210	918	2,160	6.5	10.2	246.9
280	1,120	1,756	6.1	10.1	217.7
350	1,486	1,620	6.2	10.4	229.8
Avg.	917	1,818	6.2	10.5	225.3

4. Carbohydrate Concentrations of Carrot Tissues

a. Cultivars Examined

Apache, Bolero, and Danvers 126 were used.

b. Procedures

Carrot roots harvested from commercial fields were used to determine % dry weight and sugar concentrations. Root tissues were freeze-dried and the concentrations of glucose, sucrose, and starch determined on four replicated samples.

c. Results

On a mg per fresh weight basis, carrot roots contained more sucrose and glucose than starch. The glucose as well as sucrose concentrations vary by cultivars with the sweeter cultivar containing a larger proportion of sucrose in relation to other sugars. The sweetest cultivar (Bolero) contained highest amounts of sucrose as well as starch.

Table 10. Composition of glucose, sucrose and starch in carrot roots.

	Date	Tissue	% Dry	mg/fresh weight
Cultivar	harvested	type	weight	glucose	sucrose	starch	total
Apache	9/21/95	cortex	13.5	10.2	10.8	2.7	23.7
		xylem	10.9	8.9	5.3	0.9	15.1
		average	12.2	9.6	8.1	1.8	19.4
Apache	10/5/95	cortex	13.8	7.7	11.9	2.2	21.8
		xylem	11.9	10.4	7.4	0.7	18.5
		average	12.9	9.1	9.7	1.5	20.2
Bolero	9/22/95	cortex	16.1	3.7	13.4	11.1	28.2
		xylem	12.3	2.7	7.2	2.8	12.7
		average	14.2	3.2	10.3	7.0	20.5
Danvers 126	9/22/95	cortex	13.6	5.8	7.2	4.2	17.2
		xylem	10.8	2.0	4.3	1.0	7.3
		average	12.2	3.9	5.8	2.6	12.3

1996 Vegetable Demonstration Cando, North Dakota

Submitted by Terry Gregoire, Area Agronomy Specialist, Devils Lake, North Dakota

Carrots, onions and cabbage were planted on two adjacent sites May 23, 3 miles south of Cando on clay loam soil. All vegetables were planted on both 8" raised seed bed or no raised seed bed. One site was irrigated and one site was dryland. The previous crop on the irrigated site was canola. The previous crop on the dryland site was wheat. Approximately 16" of rain was received on sites between May 15 and September 15. The irrigated site received insecticide, fungicide and additional fertility sufficient for 400 cwt potatoes. The basic fertility needs for potatoes was applied in the fall of 1995. The dryland site received no insecticide, fungicide or additional fertilizer and was fertilized in fall of 1995 with phosphorous and nitrogen deep band for 50 bu wheat yield goal. Weed species present on dryland were: roundleaf mallow, prostrate pigweed, wild oat, volunteer wheat, green and yellow foxtail. The irrigated plot had wild mustard, volunteer canola plus weeds noted in dryland plot. Herbicides used for weed control included trifluralin, dacthal, poast, and pendimethalin (prowl) on cabbage and carrots. Dacthal, Lorox, Poast and pendimethalin (prowl_ were used on onions.

Varieties planted were Fortress and Blue Oak cabbage Eagle carrot, Augusta Pearly Rose, Pinnacle, Fuego and Teton onions. Only the carrots were replicated. Pelleted seed was used. The only insect problem was cabbage butterfly which heavily damaged untreated cabbage.

Varieties were planted with a 3 point hitch mounted 2 row planter using belts. Onions were spaced at 3", carrots at 1.5" and cabbage at 12".

Four inches of rain prior to desired planting date of May 15 delayed planting and caused the resulting seed bed to be coarse grained. Warm windy conditions following planting May 23 dried the seed bed. Cabbage germinated in 10 days following rains but 60% stand loss occurred due to drying winds. Carrots and onions were slow to germinate with germination beginning June 15 and continuing into July. Consequently maturity was erratic with only a few of the earliest germinated onions being mature at harvest. Stands were variable which affected carrot and onion size at harvest.

Six foot bed lengths were harvested and weighed September 25th. Forks and splits were each counted from the whole harvested population. Length and diameter were measured on the first ten carrots of each row.

Table 1. Dryland - Harvest data for dryland carrots, Cando, N.D. 1996

4 replications - Eagle variety - 6 feet of bed = Harvest Area

Rep	No. Plants/6 ft	Yield lbs/6 ft row	Yield lbs/Acre	Average diameter (inches)	Average Length (inches)	No. forks	% forks	No. split	% split
Not Bedded
1	36	16.0	51,629	1.5	7.5	4.0	11.1	3.0	8.3
2	20	12.0	38,722	2.2	8.4	2.0	10.0	2.0	10.0
3	34	13.0	41,948	1.6	7.7	6.0	17.6	1.0	2.9
4	30	11.0	35,495	1.7	7.4	7.0	23.3	1.0	3.3
Avg	30	13.0	41,948	1.8	7.7	4.8	15.5	1.8	6.0
Bedded
1	43	13.5	43,562	1.3	7.4	4.0	9.3	0.0	0.0
2	69	15.0	48,408	1.3	6.5	2.0	2.9	3.0	4.4
3	33	15.0	48,408	1.8	10.1	3.0	9.1	0.0	0.0
4	35	15.0	48,402	1.5	9.3	5.0	14.3	0.0	0.0
Avg	45	14.6	47,192	1.5	8.3	3.5	9.0	0.8	1.1

Table 2. Dryland, not bedded carrots- Size characteristics, Cando, N.D. 1996

	Number of carrots			Number of carrots
Rep	<1" dia	1-2" dia	>2" dia	<7" long	7-8" long	>9" long
1	0	10	2	8	4	1
2	0	10	5	9	7	4
3	0	10	2	8	5	2
4	0	10	3	8	6	3
Avg	0	10	4	8	6	3

Table 3. Dryland, bedded carrots- Size characteristics, Cando, N.D. 1996

	Number of carrots			Number of carrots
Rep	<1" dia	1-2" dia	>2" dia	<7" long	7-8" long	>9" long
1	0	10	1	7	4	0
2	0	10	0	7	2	0
3	0	10	4	9	9	8
4	0	10	1	10	9	6
Ave	0	10	1	8	6	4

Table 4. Irrigated - Harvest data for dryland carrots, Cando, N.D. 1996

Rep	No. Plants/6 ft	Yield lbs/6 ft row	Yield lbs/Acre	Average diameter (inches)	Average Length (inches)	No. forks	% forks	No. split	% split
Not Bedded
1	20	10.0	32,268	1.8	8.7	1	5.0	3.0	15.0
2	50	14.0	45,175	1.6	8.3	7	14.0	7.0	14.0
3	32	13.0	41,498	1.5	7.9	6	18.6	2.0	6.3
4	41	13.5	43,562	1.7	7.9	13	31.7	0.0	0.0
Avg	36	12.6	40,738	1.7	8.2	6.8	17.5	3.0	8.8
Bedded
1	42	13.5	43,562	1.3	7.4	3	7.1	0.0	0.0
2	39	13.5	43,561	1.4	6.5	4	10.3	2.0	5.1
3	39	15.5	50,015	1.6	10.1	5	12.8	1.0	0.0
4	25	12.0	38,722	1.7	9.3	1	4.0	0.0	2.6
Avg	36	13.6	43,965	1.5	8.3	3.2	8.6	0.8	1.9

Table 5. Irrigated, not bedded carrots- Size characteristics, Cando, N.D. 1996

	Number of carrots			Number of carrots
Rep	<1" dia	1-2" dia	>2" dia	<7" long	7-8" long	>9" long
1	0	10	5	10	8	2
2	0	10	0	8	8	3
3	0	10	0	9	7	0
4	0	10	2	9	5	2
Avg	0	10	2	9	7	2

Table 6. Irrigated, bedded carrots- Size characteristics, Cando, N.D. 1996

	Number of carrots			Number of carrots
Rep	<1" dia	1-2" dia	>2" dia	<7" long	7-8" long	>9" long
1	0	10	0	8	7	5
2	0	10	1	9	6	4
3	0	10	2	9	6	1
4	0	10	2	10	8	2
Avg	0	10	1	9	7	3

1996 Evaluations of Carrot Cultivars in Oakes, North Dakota

In North Dakota, carrots grow very well and commercial carrot production is increasing rapidly. Carrots have greater commercial production potential than any other vegetable. We tested baby carrots (both true and cut and peel); cello types, jumbos, and processing types.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Soil:	Maddock sandy loam; pH=7.4; 2.6% organic matter; soil-P and soil-K were very high; soil-S was low.
Previous crop:	1995 - field corn; 1994 - potato; 1993 - small grain.
Seedbed Preparation	Flailed cornstalks April 15. Subsoiled April 24. Disked April 26 and May 3. Multiweeded (field cultivated) four times; once on May 6 and twice on May 7 to incorporate herbicide and to smooth the seedbed, and once very shallow on May 13 after rains packed the ground.
Planting:	Direct seeded pelleted carrot seeds on May 13 for cello, jumbo, and processing type carrots with a Stanhay vegetable planter. Planting pattern was paired rows (3 inches between rows in the pair) on 16-inch centers seeded at about 500,000 seeds/acre for cello and jumbo carrots and about 400,000 for the processing carrots. Four complete trials were planted: one to be harvested early, one mid-early, one mid-late, and the last one to be harvested just before freeze up for the processing market. Planted raw seed for cut and peel and true baby carrots on May 16. Planting pattern for true baby carrots was paired rows (3 inches between rows in the pair) on 8 inch centers seeded at about 2.2 million seeds/acre. Two complete true baby carrot trials were planted, one harvested early and one late. The one cut and peel baby carrot trial was planted with raw seed in paired rows on 16-inch centers at about 600,000 seeds/acre.
Plots:	Plots were 17 ft long by 3 ft wide. There were 4 reps.
Fertilizer:	On April 17, broadcast 14 lbs N/acre and 70 lbs P2O5/acre as 10-50-0, 16 lbs N/acre and 19 lbs S/acre as 21-0-0-24, and 94 lbs K20/acre as 0-0-60. Sprayed 35 lbs N/acre as 28-0-0 on May 3. Side dressed with urea at 75 lbs N/acre on June 19 and 55 lb N/acre on July 9.
Irrigation:	Overhead sprinkler irrigation as needed.
Pest control:	Weeds were controlled by Treflan (1.5 pts/acre on May 7 preplant incorporated), Lorox (1 lb/acre on May 20, 2 lbs/acre on June 21), Fusilade + COC (0.75 pt/acre + 1 pt/25 gal) and by hand weeding. Asana (8 oz/acre on July 9, July 12, and July 31) was used to control leaf hoppers.
Harvest:	The early harvests (for fresh market) were on Aug. 7, Aug. 21, and Sep. 4. The late harvest (for processing) was on Oct. 25. The cut and peel baby carrot harvest was on Aug. 21. The true baby carrot harvests were on July 16 and 17, and on July 26. Yields, etc. were taken from a five-foot section of one row harvested from each plot except the baby carrots where two rows per plot were harvested.

Table 13. US #1 and total carrot yield for carrots harvested on August 7 in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source¹ >1.5" 1 to 1.5" ¾ to 1" total total yield yield roots

Artist JS 5.7 6.4 0.2 12.3 57 2.9 21.1 337

Avenger PS 0.2 3.6 0.6 4.3 29 1.9 15.7 341

Berlina FM 3.4 2.0 0.1 5.5 33 5.0 16.6 276

Bolero JS 2.9 1.9 0.1 4.9 30 9.2 17.5 387

Bolero VL 6.1 3.9 0.2 10.3 49 4.1 20.5 323

Crusader FM 4.2 2.0 0.0 6.2 42 2.3 14.6 188

Legend PS 0.8 3.1 0.5 4.4 33 1.1 13.2 310

Mistral FM 6.2 3.0 0.0 9.1 41 2.5 20.9 270

Nelson JS 5.7 4.1 0.0 9.8 39 11.6 24.9 319

Table 14. Root characteristics for carrots harvested August 7 in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source¹ root length diameter diameter color ² color ² contrast ³ size

Artist JS 17 7.0 1.0 0.41 3.3 2.8 3.0 2.5

Avenger PS 56 7.7 0.9 0.44 3.0 2.5 3.3 1.7

Berlina FM 31 6.1 1.1 0.56 3.0 2.5 4.0 2.8

Bolero JS 15 6.8 1.0 0.51 3.0 2.3 4.0 2.3

Bolero VL 27 6.6 1.1 0.56 3.0 2.0 4.0 2.5

Crusader FM 40 6.5 1.2 0.60 3.0 2.5 3.5 3.0

Legend PS 55 7.7 1.0 0.46 3.0 3.0 3.3 1.6

Mistral FM 44 5.2 1.2 0.49 2.8 2.3 4.0 2.9

Nelson JS 8 7.2 1.2 0.54 3.3 3.0 2.8 3.5

²Color: 1=yellow orange; 2=light orange; 3=medium orange; 4=dark orange.

³Contrast between cortex and core. The higher the number the lower the contrast. Some hybrids had a

lower contrast score because of a green layer between cortex and core on some carrots.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Table 15. US #1 and total carrot yield for carrots harvested on August 21 in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ >1.5" 1 to 1.5" ¾ to 1" total total yield yield roots

Artist JS 16.2 3.0 0.0 19.6 59 6.4 33.2 374

Avenger PS 8.8 6.0 0.4 15.2 53 2.1 29.1 368

Berlina FM 16.1 4.5 0.0 21.3 70 5.0 30.4 307

Bolero JS 15.9 5.3 0.1 21.3 60 6.2 35.9 441

Bolero VL 17.6 3.7 0.0 21.2 63 4.5 33.5 353

Crusader FM 13.9 2.8 0.1 16.8 68 3.1 24.3 265

Legend PS 14.1 6.5 0.4 21.0 65 2.1 32.0 441

Mistral FM 12.5 3.2 0.0 15.7 54 2.5 29.2 260

Nelson JS 23.0 5.2 0.0 28.7 83 1.8 34.8 302

Table 16. Root characteristics for carrots harvested August 21 in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ root length diameter diameter color ² color ² contrast ³ size

Artist JS 21 6.3 1.2 0.44 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.4

Avenger PS 40 8.1 1.1 0.47 2.8 3.0 3.1 2.9

Berlina FM 13 6.8 1.3 0.72 2.5 2.3 3.8 4.0

Bolero JS 23 6.3 1.2 0.50 3.0 2.6 3.0 3.2

Bolero VL 22 6.3 1.2 0.57 3.0 2.5 3.5 3.6

Crusader FM 19 6.2 1.2 0.50 3.0 2.5 3.5 3.5

Legend PS 25 7.4 1.1 0.40 3.0 2.3 3.8 3.0

Mistral FM 37 6.3 1.2 0.46 2.8 2.8 3.5 4.4

Nelson JS 10 7.1 1.3 0.53 2.8 2.8 3.3 4.1

² Color: 1=yellow orange; 2=light orange; 3=medium orange; 4=dark orange.

³ Contrast between cortex and core. The higher the number the lower the contrast. Some hybrids had a

lower contrast score because of a green layer between cortex and core on some carrots.


----------------------------------

Table 17. US #1 and total carrot yield for carrots harvested on September 4 in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ >1.5" 1 to 1.5" ¾ to 1" total total yield yield roots

Artist JS 23.1 9.4 0.2 32.8 69.9 2.6 46.7 390

Avenger PS 16.3 10.1 0.2 26.6 64.3 2.6 41.6 392

Berlina FM 25.7 4.2 0.0 30.6 71.5 3.3 42.3 301

Bolero JS 14.4 3.6 0.0 18.0 39.7 13.0 44.7 485

Bolero VL 21.2 3.3 0.1 24.6 53.0 6.5 45.9 369

Crusader FM 11.1 2.3 0.0 13.5 40.3 5.2 34.2 307

Legend PS 11.9 8.6 0.8 21.3 53.0 4.1 40.2 444

Mistral FM 12.6 3.1 0.1 15.7 44.0 2.7 35.9 263

Nelson JS 15.9 6.3 0.0 22.3 53.6 6.4 41.3 358

Table 18. Root characteristics for carrots harvested September 4 in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ root length diameter diameter uniformity size score

Artist JS 16 6.5 1.7 0.71 3.8 4.2 7.3

Avenger PS 24 7.1 1.6 0.77 3.8 4.0 7.0

Berlina FM 13 7.1 1.8 1.06 3.5 5.6 6.3

Bolero JS 21 6.0 1.6 0.75 3.0 4.3 5.8

Bolero VL 25 5.9 1.7 0.87 3.3 4.6 6.8

Crusader FM 33 5.9 1.7 0.67 2.6 4.0 5.5

Legend PS 28 6.5 1.6 0.67 3.3 3.5 6.5

Mistral FM 42 5.7 1.8 0.85 3.4 4.7 7.0

Nelson JS 8 5.7 1.6 0.70 3.5 4.3 6.0

Table 19. US #1 and total carrot yield for carrots harvested on October 25 in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ >2.5" 1.5 to 2.5" 1 to 1.5" total total yield roots

Artist JS 2.5 23.0 3.4 32.1 69 46.9 258

Avenger PS 1.4 21.1 3.2 27.4 58 47.5 253

Berlina FM 2.0 17.4 0.8 21.0 55 38.6 150

Bolero JS 0.0 23.4 2.4 30.5 61 49.7 307

Bolero VL 2.9 15.3 0.4 20.9 50 46.3 201

Crusader FM 1.4 19.0 1.8 23.8 73 32.7 175

Legend PS 4.0 21.9 2.2 30.6 68 44.7 258

Mistral FM 2.3 10.5 0.7 14.1 44 32.7 144

Nelson JS 0.0 21.7 1.9 24.5 50 49.1 229

Table 20. Root characteristics for carrots harvested October 25 in the 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source ¹ root length diameter diameter size score

Artist JS 22 6.6 1.9 0.93 6.1 8.3

Avenger PS 38 7.9 1.9 0.88 6.1 8.0

Berlina FM 31 6.8 2.1 1.22 8.3 7.3

Bolero JS 25 6.6 2.0 1.19 6.1 7.8

Bolero VL 41 6.5 2.1 1.20 7.3 7.0

Crusader FM 18 6.7 2.2 1.09 6.7 7.5

Legend PS 26 7.1 2.1 1.04 6.8 7.5

Mistral FM 48 6.3 1.9 1.01 7.4 7.3

Nelson JS 12 6.6 2.0 0.95 6.6 7.5

seed

Hybrid source ¹ cortex core NO₃^- K⁺ pH taste ²

Artist JS 10.6 9.8 7800 2767 6.16 4

Avenger PS 10.7 9.7 3525 2900 6.17 5

Berlina FM 9.5 9.3 >10000 2433 6.24 5

Bolero JS 10.6 9.4 5350 2733 6.18 5

Bolero VL 11.2 10.0 6950 2633 7.02 4

Crusader FM 10.5 9.8 5675 3367 6.15 3

Legend PS 10.8 9.8 5967 2633 6.15 5

Mistral FM 10.4 9.6 3700 2467 6.26 5

Nelson JS 8.7 8.0 7867 2767 6.21 5

² Taste - 1 to 5 with 5=best.

---------------------------------

Table 22. Yields of carrots planted with raw seed¹ for true baby carrot production in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot performance trial. Harvested July 16 and 17.

seed US #1 US #1 as carrots total total US #1

Hybrid source ² yield % of total < 2" long yield roots/acre size

Apache SS 3.6 38 5.1 9.2 1180 0.53

Babette VL 6.8 61 3.4 11.2 860 0.69

Bambina FM 7.6 69 2.7 10.9 1001 0.53

Berlina FM 4.7 60 2.5 7.7 819 0.58

Cheyenne SS 3.3 47 3.6 7.2 643 0.67

Choctaw SS 3.7 43 4.6 8.5 1096 0.58

Comanche SS 3.5 39 5.2 9.1 954 0.63

Navajo SS 2.3 33 4.4 6.9 1015 0.53

Primecut SS 3.6 38 5.1 9.2 1092 0.58

Sugarsnax SS 1.4 17 5.8 7.5 1190 0.55

Terminator FM 2.7 37 4.3 7.3 1080 0.48

Tripleplay SS 3.8 39 5.6 9.7 1088 0.60

for pelleted seed to plant the cello, jumbo, and processing type carrot trials. We received raw seed for the

hybrids in tables 22 to 27. We planted them for baby carrot production even though some are not

intended for that purpose.

² See appendix A for source codes.

Table 23. Root characteristics of carrots planted with raw seed¹ for true baby carrot production in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot performance trial. Harvested July 16 and 17.

Hybrid source² roots length diameter diameter color³ color³ contrast⁴

Apache SS 5 6.8 0.70 0.35 2.5 2.0 4.0

Babette VL 6 6.7 0.84 0.40 2.8 2.8 3.0

Bambina FM 4 5.9 0.75 0.28 2.5 2.0 3.8

Berlina FM 3 6.2 0.77 0.43 2.3 2.0 4.0

Cheyenne SS 5 6.6 0.71 0.39 3.0 2.5 3.8

Choctaw SS 3 5.8 0.77 0.41 2.8 2.6 3.7

Comanche SS 3 7.1 0.62 0.36 2.8 2.3 4.0

Navajo SS 4 6.8 0.68 0.40 2.8 2.3 3.8

Primecut SS 3 6.2 0.70 0.38 2.8 2.8 3.3

Sugarsnax SS 4 7.0 0.58 0.32 3.0 2.3 3.3

Terminator FM 3 6.9 0.68 0.39 2.0 2.0 4.0

Tripleplay SS 3 6.8 0.74 0.40 2.8 2.3 3.8

²See appendix A for source codes.

³Color: 1=yellow orange; 2=light orange; 3=medium orange; 4=dark orange.

⁴Contrast between cortex and core. The higher the number the lower the contrast. Some hybrids had a

lower contrast score because of a green layer between cortex and core on some carrots.

Table 24. Yields of carrots planted with raw seed¹ for true baby carrot production in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot performance trial. Harvested July 26.

seed US #1 US #1 as carrots total total US #1

Hybrid source² yield % of total < 2" long yield roots/acre size

Apache SS 9.2 64 3.1 14.0 1036 0.66

Babette VL 12.4 67 1.8 18.4 876 0.80

Bambina FM 11.0 71 3.0 15.3 1075 0.70

Berlina FM 6.6 65 1.7 10.5 782 0.61

Cheyenne SS 7.2 67 2.0 10.8 617 0.77

Choctaw SS 7.2 66 2.9 11.0 1001 0.59

Comanche SS 9.2 70 2.5 13.1 807 0.73

Navajo SS 7.0 68 2.9 10.5 1050 0.56

Primecut SS 6.9 58 4.0 11.9 1080 0.61

Sugarsnax SS 7.0 65 3.8 11.0 1006 0.64

Terminator FM 6.4 67 2.8 9.7 933 0.55

Tripleplay SS 11.6 76 2.9 15.1 937 0.73

²See appendix A for source codes.

Table 25. Root characteristics of carrots planted with raw seed¹ for true baby carrot production in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot performance trial. Harvested July 26.

Hybrid source² roots length diameter diameter color³ color³ contrast⁴

Apache SS 3.6 6.2 0.83 0.47 3.0 2.4 3.4

Babette VL 10.4 5.9 0.83 0.33 2.8 2.5 3.8

Bambina FM 2.8 4.3 0.88 0.32 2.7 2.4 3.7

Berlina FM 3.4 5.2 0.84 0.37 2.0 1.5 4.0

Cheyenne SS 8.5 6.8 0.86 0.41 3.0 3.0 3.0

Choctaw SS 4.8 5.5 0.77 0.37 3.0 2.8 3.3

Comanche SS 5.1 6.3 0.84 0.43 2.8 2.8 4.0

Navajo SS 4.1 6.4 0.68 0.39 2.8 2.0 3.8

Primecut SS 3.5 6.5 0.77 0.35 3.0 2.8 3.5

Sugarsnax SS 4.8 6.8 0.75 0.38 3.0 3.0 3.3

Terminator FM 5.0 6.4 0.73 0.33 2.8 2.5 3.5

Tripleplay SS 3.2 6.9 0.75 0.41 3.0 2.8 3.5

²See appendix A for source codes.

³Color: 1=yellow orange; 2=light orange; 3=medium orange; 4=dark orange.

⁴Contrast between cortex and core. The higher the number the lower the contrast. Some hybrids had a lower contrast score because of a green layer between cortex and core on some carrots.

Table 26. US #1 yields, total yields, and total numbers of carrots planted from raw seed¹ and harvested on August 21 for cut and peel baby carrots in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source¹ >1.5" 1 to 1.5" ¾ to 1" total >1.5" 1 to 1.5" total yield roots/acre

Apache SS 10.0 8.8 1.1 19.9 40 36 81 24.3 379 Babette VL 5.7 7.4 1.6 14.7 25 32 63 23.2 341 Bambina FM 5.9 4.9 0.4 11.2 30 24 55 20.6 270

Berlina FM 17.2 3.4 0.4 20.3 58 12 70 28.7 278

Cheyenne SS 13.0 8.2 0.2 20.3 45 31 77 26.5 317

Choctaw SS 18.7 2.9 0.3 21.8 70 11 82 26.5 217 Comanche SS 11.7 1.3 0.0 13.0 67 8 74 17.6 139 Navajo SS 14.4 5.4 0.3 20.0 59 23 83 24.3 296

Primecut SS 11.5 6.8 0.1 18.3 42 32 74 24.5 248 Sugarsnax SS 5.4 8.1 1.5 15.0 23 35 66 23.0 389 Terminator FM 12.0 3.9 0.4 16.3 53 18 73 22.7 263 Tripleplay SS 13.9 4.9 0.4 19.2 58 20 80 24.0 222

²See appendix A for source code.

Table 27. US #2 yield, and root characteristics and size of US #1 carrots planted from raw seed¹ and harvested on August 21 for cut and peel baby carrots in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 carrot hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source¹ yield roots length diameter diameter color² color² contrast³ size

Apache SS 2.4 7 7.8 1.0 0.50 3.0 2.5 3.5 2.4

Babette VL 2.6 25 6.7 0.9 0.38 2.8 2.5 3.5 2.4

Bambina FM 4.3 24 6.8 1.2 0.44 2.8 2.2 3.5 2.8

Berlina FM 3.3 16 7.4 1.1 0.59 2.0 2.0 4.0 4.3

Cheyenne SS 1.0 19 7.5 1.2 0.54 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.1

Choctaw SS 0.9 14 8.4 1.2 0.58 2.9 2.3 3.5 4.5

Comanche SS 0.9 20 9.5 1.3 0.80 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.7

Navajo SS 1.1 12 6.5 1.1 0.62 3.0 2.8 3.3 3.2

Primecut SS 1.3 17 8.4 1.1 0.49 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.3

Sugarsnax SS 2.2 22 7.4 1.0 0.43 2.9 3.0 3.3 2.3

Terminator FM 0.9 22 8.5 1.2 0.49 2.9 2.4 3.5 3.1

Tripleplay SS 2.8 8 8.7 1.1 0.60 3.0 2.8 3.1 3.8

²See appendix A for source code.

³Contrast between cortex and core. The higher the number the lower the contrast. Some hybrids had a lower contrast score because of

a green layer between cortex and core on some carrots.


RESULTS

Of the hybrids tested, Artist and Nelson were the best early carrots. Legend, Berlina, and Avenger looked good for medium-maturing carrots. Artist, Avenger, and Berlina produced the best jumbo carrots. Good processing carrots included Artist, Legend, Bolero, and Avenger. Only Babette and Bambina could be considered true baby carrots. Apache may work as a cut and peel hybrid.
Cabbage harvest data consisted of weighting cabbage October 3 from irrigated area. Average weight was 4.0 lbs per cabbage.

All onion varieties were immature at harvest due to erratic and late germination. Irrigated onions did not perform as well as the dryland onions. Stem rot and leaf rot was encountered in irrigated onions while none were found in dryland onions.

III. PRODUCTION OF ONIONS

1. Onions Grown at Karlsruhe

Table 11. The distribution of bulbs by different sizes (diameter), total yield, % soluble sugar, and % single-centeredness of onion cultivars grown near Absaraka in 1994.

¹ Yield was determined using 5-foot rows and 20-inch row spacing.
² Determined by a refractometer.
³ Determined by a Cardy meter.

2. Onions grown at Oakes.

Table 12. Quality of onions grown at Oakes in 1995

¹ Percent sprouting was determined after 10 weeks of storage at 15^oC.

1996 Evaluations of Onion Cultivars in Oakes North Dakota

Onions grow well and onion production has increased rapidly in North Dakota. Growers are producing mostly yellow sweet Spanish onions and some storage onions. This trial consisted of 20 onion cultivars.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Soil:	Maddock sandy loam; pH=7.5; 2.4% organic matter; soil-P was medium; soil-K was high; soil-S was very low.
Previous crops:	1995 - soybean; 1994 - carrot; 1993 - pumpkin and winter squash.
Seedbed preparation:	Disked twice on April 17. Multiweeded (field cultivated) twice on April 18 to incorporate fertilizer and smooth the seedbed.
Planting:	Drilled barley cover crop on April 18 (1 bu/acre, 7-inch rows). Direct seeded onions on April 19 with a Stanhay vegetable planter at a population of about 200,000 seeds/acre. Planted in paired rows (3" apart), with the paired rows on 16" centers. Onions were planted perpendicular to the barley cover crop. Sprayed Fusilade + Penetrate II on May 21 (1 pt/acre + 1 pt/25 gal) and on June 4 (10 oz/acre + 1 pt/25 gal) to kill the barley cover crop.
Plots:	Plots were 3 ft (two paired rows) wide by 17 ft long. The study had 4 reps.
Fertilizer:	On April 17, broadcast 14 lbs N/acre and 70 lbs P2O5/acre as 10-50-0, 16 lbs N/acre and 19 lbs S/acre as 21-0-0-24, and 94 lbs K20/acre as 0-0-60. Sprayed 18 lbs N/acre as 28-0-0 on April 17. Side dressed with urea twice: 70 lbs N/acre on June 19; and 50 lbs N/acre on July 9.
Irrigation:	Overhead sprinkler irrigation as needed.
Pest control:	Weeds were controlled with: Dacthal (8 lbs/acre on May 6 which was preemergence to onions but post emergence to barley); Prowl (1.5 pt/acre on May 21); Buctril and Goal (1.0 and 0.6 pt/acre on June 7); Buctril and Goal (0.5 and 0.3 pt/acre on July 2); Fusilade + Penetrate II (1 pt/acre + 1 pt/25 gal on May 21, June 4, and July 30). No insect control needed.
Harvest:	Pulled from Aug. 30 to Sept. 16 (depending on maturity). Onions were allowed to dry in the field until about the middle of October, when they were bagged. The tops were removed and onions graded on Nov. 4.

RESULT

Set

Pinnacle, Oro Grande, and Santos had the highest yields of large onions. Ton also had high yields but half of the yield was medium or small in size. Fabius yielded well and had excellent quality. Pinnacle and Oro Grande had a high percentage of single centers. Mercury was the best yielding red onion. Yields and quality of most hybrids were good this year.

Table 34. Onion yields in the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 onion hybrid performance trial.

Yellow onions

Augustus FM 42 459 238 17 2 817

Brown Beauty NH(SC) 10 208 237 81 0 573

Candy (MD) NH(PS) 5 169 180 64 6 446

Copra TH(AS) 0 89 314 62 0 467

Discovery TH(RC) 2 247 162 38 5 491

Fabius FM 51 445 138 9 4 698

Fury NH(SC) 5 327 244 42 2 661

Golden Cascade NH(SC) 48 480 181 19 6 787

Norstar TH(AS) 0 92 338 56 0 488

Oro Grande FM 40 539 215 16 1 870

Paragon TH(SS) 0 182 352 45 0 590

Pinnacle PS 8 621 178 23 0 841

Prince BZ 0 249 292 43 0 613

Santos VL 139 431 85 18 4 751

Tamara BZ 0 245 298 45 0 595

Teton PS 0 355 365 31 1 776

Valient TH(PE) 27 425 95 10 0 580

Red onions

Bennies Red TH(AS) 14 283 136 25 8 489

Fuego PS 7 233 206 30 5 504

Mercury NH(PS) 2 402 182 20 4 621

Table 35. Maturity, stand, and quality results for the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 onion hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source¹ half-down² bulbs centers score uniformity

Yellow onions

Augustus FM 131 156 30 7.6 3.6

Brown Beauty NH(SC) 122 159 0 7.1 3.6

Candy (MD) NH(PS) 124 141 20 6.0 3.1

Copra TH(AS) 122 159 10 7.5 3.9

Discovery TH(RC) 122 121 0 7.5 3.8

Fabius FM 133 121 30 8.4 4.0

Fury NH(SC) 124 149 65 6.9 3.3

Golden Cascade NH(SC) 121 148 25 7.6 3.8

Norstar TH(AS) 117 151 15 8.0 4.0

Oro Grande FM 130 162 60 7.4 3.6

Paragon TH(SS) 118 162 13 7.8 4.0

Pinnacle PS 129 151 60 8.3 4.1

Prince BZ 122 155 5 7.3 3.6

Santos VL 133 123 5 7.5 3.6

Tamara BZ 121 154 25 7.9 4.0

Teton PS 122 170 35 7.3 3.5

Valient TH(PE) 133 92 50 7.5 3.5

Red onions

Bennies Red TH(AS) 128 108 39 7.6 3.7

Fuego PS 135 116 13 7.8 3.8

Mercury NH(PS) 121 135 45 7.5 3.8

²The "days to half-down" was the days from planting to when half the onion tops had fallen over. This is an indication of maturity.

Table 36. Quality data of the Oakes Irrigation Research Station 1996 onion hybrid performance trial.

Hybrid source¹ sugar NO₃^- K⁺ pH

Yellow onions

Augustus FM 8.1 2725 1300 5.54

Brown Beauty NH(SC) 7.9 710 1250 6.01

Candy (MD) NH(PS) 8.0 162 1525 5.64

Copra TH(AS) 10.6 5833 1867 5.60

Discovery TH(RC) 8.0 2400 1250 5.61

Fabius FM 9.3 3175 1675 5.60

Fury NH(SC) 7.7 1040 1400 5.54

Golden Cascade NH(SC) 6.2 328 1168 5.49

Norstar TH(AS) 9.0 3075 1575 5.55

Oro Grande FM 7.6 3300 1200 5.51

Paragon TH(SS) 8.8 2475 1200 5.65

Pinnacle PS 8.2 1550 1375 5.54

Prince BZ 8.5 1020 1500 5.65

Santos VL 7.4 795 1043 5.41

Tamara BZ 10.5 4450 1775 5.73

Teton PS 9.7 2625 1575 5.63

Valient TH(PE) 7.7 1270 1400 5.60

Red onions

Bennies Red TH(AS) 8.8 1225 1425 5.65

Fuego PS 10.3 870 1825 5.65

Mercury NH(PS) 7.0 928 1200 5.33

The muskmelon trials in 1996 were conducted on the NDSU campus farm in Fargo, North Dakota. Six cultivars provided by various seed companies were evaluated for yield and quality performance.

Methods

Plant Establishment

Seedlings were grown in the greenhouse in cell packs containing Sunshine Mix #1. Seeds were sown on May 1, 1996. On June 7, after the plants had reached the 2-3 true leaf stage, they were transplanted into the field using a tomato transplanter. The plants were planted 24 inches apart within the row and 8 feet between rows. Each plot contained twenty plants.

Cultural Procedures

Urea (46-0-0) was applied at a rate of 75 lbs N/acre on June 3. Irrigation using overhead sprinklers was supplied during plant establishment and later in growing season as needed. Treflan was applied prior to transplanting. Mechanical cultivation, Rototilling, and hand weeding was used as needed for the control of weeds.

Results

Plant Performance

Overall all six cultivars grew exceptionally well. While melons started to ripen in the middle of August, they were harvested at a time on September 20 for yield determinations. Unripe melons were left in the field. Some were past prime, these were counted but left in the field.

Best Cultivars

Many cultivars proved to be excellent in yield as well as quality. The top three yielding cultivars of muskmelon were Earligold, F72-201, and Ambrosia in decreasing order of lb/acre. Top three cultivars by number of fruits/acre was F72-201, Ambrosia, and Earliqueen (Table 1).

Taste Evaluation

The taste and appearance of muskmelons were evaluated by 92 volunteer individuals from NDSU on September 27 after cold storage for one week. The top three cultivars that scored the high in this evaluation were Athena, Earliqueen, and Earligold (Table 2).

1. Plants transplanted June 7, and harvested September 20, 1996.
2. Average fruit weight based on total fruits (harvested and not harvested).
3. Percent soluble sugar was determined using a refractometer.
4. Yield was estimated based on 24 inch spacing between plants and 8 feet between rows.

Table 2. Evaluation of taste and appearance of muskmelons grown at Fargo, North Dakota, in 1996.

Scores based on a scale of 1-5 (1=low, 5=high).

Questions were as follows:

1. Does the external appearance please you?

2. Does the internal appearance please you?

3. How does the sweetness and flavor taste?

4. Is the texture of the flesh pleasing?

5. Would you buy it?

1996 Evaluations of Watermelon Cultivars in Fargo, North Dakota

The watermelon trials in 1996 were conducted on the NDSU campus farm in Fargo, North Dakota. Six cultivars provided by various seed companies were evaluated for yield and quality performance.

Methods

Plant Establishment

Seedlings were grown in the greenhouse in cell packs containing Sunshine Mix #1. Seeds were sown on May 1, 1996. On June 7, after the plants had reached the 2-3 true leaf stage, they were transplanted into the field using a tomato transplanter. The plants were planted 24 inches apart within the row and 8 feet between rows. Each plot contained twenty plants.

Cultural Procedures

Urea (46-0-0) was applied at a rate of 75 lbs N/acre on June 3. Irrigation using overhead sprinklers was supplied during plant establishment and later in growing season as needed. Treflan was applied prior to transplanting. Mechanical cultivation, Rototilling, and hand weeding was used as needed for the control of weeds.

Results

Plant Performance

Overall all six cultivars grew exceptionally well. While melons started to ripen in the middle of August, they were harvested at a time on September 20 for yield determinations. Unripe melons were left in the field. Some were past prime, these were counted but left in the field.

Best Cultivars

Many cultivars proved to be excellent in yield as well as quality. The top three yielding cultivars of watermelon were Sunshine, Tiger Baby, and Yellow Doll in decreasing order of lb/acre. Top three cultivars by number of fruits/acre was Yellow Doll, Tiger Baby, and Sunshine (Table 1).

Taste Evaluation

The taste and appearance of watermelons were evaluated by 92 volunteer individuals from NDSU on September 27 after cold storage for one week. The top three cultivars that scored the highest in this evaluation were a, Showing, Yellow Doll, Huck Fin (Table 2).

Table 1. Yield and quality performance of watermelon cultivars grown at Fargo, North Dakota, in 1996.

		Fruit	%	Yield	Yield
	Seed	weight	Soluble	(# fruits	(1000 lb
Cultivar	source	(lb)	sugar	per acre)	per acre)
Huck Finn	FM	9.4	10.3	1,905	16.6
New Orchid	KY	4.6	11.2	2,993	8.8
Showing	KY	5.7	9.2	2,857	16.4
Sunshine	JS	7.1	10.1	5,306	37.7
Sweet Favorite	JS	9.1	11.0	2,585	14.9
Tiger Baby	PS	6.0	11.5	5,850	30.1
Tiny Orchid	KY	3.7	10.1	4,082	7.5
Yellow Doll	PS	4.4	11.3	6,122	24.2

1. Plants transplanted June 7, and harvested September 20, 1996.

2. Average fruit weight based on total fruits (harvested and not harvested).

3. Percent soluble sugar was determined using a refractometer.

4. Yield was estimated based on 24 inch spacing between plants and 8 feet between rows.

Table 2. Evaluation of taste and appearance of watermelons grown at Fargo, North Dakota, in 1996.

		Average responses
	Seed	Question no.					Overall
Cultivar	source	1	2	3	4	5	average
Huck Finn	FM	4.3	3.8	3.4	3.6	3.5	3.7
New Orchid	KY	3.8	3.6	2.9	3.2	2.7	3.2
Showing	KY	4.2	4.3	3.6	3.8	3.6	3.9
Sunshine	JS	4.2	3.6	2.6	3.2	2.5	3.2
Sweet Favorite	JS	4.0	3.2	3.6	3.2	3.2	3.4
Tiger Baby	PS	3.9	3.7	3.1	3.5	3.2	3.5
Tiny Orchid	KY	3.5	3.2	2.4	3.1	2.3	2.9
Yellow Doll	PS	4.0	3.8	3.7	3.6	3.6	3.7

Scores based on a scale of 1-5 (1=low, 5=high).

Questions were as follows:

1. Does the external appearance please you?

2. Does the internal appearance please you?

3. How does the sweetness and flavor taste?

4. Is the texture of the flesh pleasing?

5. Would you buy it?

1996 Evaluations of Oriental Vegetable Cultivars in Oakes, North Dakota

Last year's studies showed that oriental vegetables such as daikon radish, bok choy (also called pak choi), and baby bok choy grow well in North Dakota. Two questions that still needed to be answered were "which are the best varieties and what is the best time to plant them?" This study helped answer those questions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Soil:	Hecla sandy loam and Embden sandy loam; pH=7.3; 2.1% organic matter; soil-P and soil-K were very high; soil-S was very low.
Previous crop:	1995 - onion and sweet corn; 1994 - cabbage and broccoli; 1993 - muskmelon, pop corn, and field corn.
Seedbed preparation:	See table 37.
Planting:	Direct seeded with a Stanhay vegetable planter, see table 37 for planting dates. Pak choi and napa cabbage were spaced 7.5 inches apart in 16-inch rows, then thinned to 15 inches apart in the row. Daikon radishes were spaced 4 inches apart in 16-inch rows and later thinned to 8 inches apart in the row. Baby bok choy was planted 7.5 inches apart in 8-inch rows. It was not thinned. Seeds were placed about ½ inch deep into a flat, fine seedbed.
Plots:	Plots were 17 ft long by 3 ft wide. There were four 16-inch rows/bed, except Mei Qing Choi which had seven 8-inch rows/bed. There were 4 reps.
Fertilizer:	On April 17, broadcast 14 lbs N/acre and 70 lbs P2O5/acre as 10-50-0, 16 lbs N/acre and 19 lbs S/acre as 21-0-0-24, and 94 lbs K20/acre as 0-0-60. See table 38 for further fertilizer applications.
Irrigation:	Overhead sprinkler irrigation as needed.
Pest control:	See table 38.
Harvest:	See tables 39 to 40 for harvest dates and results. The fourth planting was killed by blight.

RESULTS

May 1 was too early to plant daikon radishes. Even those that reached harvestable size were beginning to bolt and were of questionable quality. Some daikon radishes planted on May 1 also had more secondary roots. Mid-May is the earliest daikon radishes should be planted in North Dakota. Omny and Spring Light were the best overall varieties (especially when planted early). April Cross grew well but had a tendency to have secondary roots. April Cross is long and skinny, Omny is long and husky. Spring Light is short and fat. Daebu Summer grew well when planted in July. It was short and fat. Tae Back and White Gem should not be planted in North Dakota because they bolt too readily.

Mei Qing Choi grew well planted at any date. Joi Choi had poor germination (probably a seed quality problem) but what did grow, grew well when planted at any date.

Napa cabbage did not consistently form a good head. Of all the varieties planted on April 30, only Spring Flavor formed any heads at all. For those planted on June 4, head formation was inconsistent with only 20 to 30 percent of the plants forming heads. Napa planted July 10 or July 25 did not mature sufficiently for head formation

Table 37. Oriental vegetable performance trial field operations at each planting time.

Planting time	Date	Operation	Purpose
All	April 24 April 26	subsoil disk	breakup hardpan incorporate fertilizer
first	April 30 May 1	multiweed twice plant (except radishes) multiweed twice plant radishes	incorporate fertilizer and Treflan herbicide incorporate insecticide
second	June 3 June 4 June 4	disk multiweed twice plant	initial tillage and incorporate insecticide incorporate herbicide and smooth seedbed
third	July 8 July 9 July 10	disk multiweed twice plant	initial tillage and incorporate insecticide incorporate herbicide and smooth seedbed
fourth	July 25 July 25 July 25	disk multiweed twice plant	initial tillage and incorporate insecticide incorporate herbicide and smooth seedbed