This dataset consists of agronomic calendars for each growing season (year) when sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) was grown for seed at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU) research weather station, Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL). Sunflower was grown on two large, precision weighing lysimeters, each in the center of a 4.44 ha square field. The two fields were the easternmost (NE and SE) of four square fields, which are themselves arranged in a larger square with the fields in four adjacent quadrants of the larger square. Fields and lysimeters within each field are thus designated northeast (NE), southeast (SE), northwest (NW), and southwest (SW). Irrigation was by linear move sprinkler system. Irrigations designated as full were managed to replenish soil water used by the crop on a weekly or more frequent basis as determined by soil profile water content readings made with a neutron probe to 2.4-m depth in the field. Irrigations designated as deficit typically involved full irrigation to establish the crop. A crop calendar for each season lists by date the pertinent agronomic and maintenance operations (e.g., planting, thinning, fertilization, pesticide application, lysimeter maintenance, harvest). For each season there is a crop calendar for the two lysimeters. These datasets originate from research aimed at determining crop water use (ET), crop coefficients for use in ET-based irrigation scheduling based on a reference ET, crop growth, yield, harvest index, and crop water productivity as affected by irrigation method, timing, amount (full or some degree of deficit), agronomic practices, cultivar, and weather. Prior publications have focused on ET, crop coefficients, and crop water productivity. Crop coefficients have been used by ET networks. The data have utility for testing simulation models of crop ET, growth, and yield and have been used for testing, and calibrating models of ET that use satellite and/or weather data.

The Cover Crop Chart (v. 2.0) is designed to assist producers with decisions on the use of cover crops in crop and forage production systems. The chart, patterned after the periodic table of elements, includes information on 58 crop species that may be planted individually or in cocktail mixtures. Information on growth cycle, relative water use, plant architecture, seeding depth, forage quality, pollination characteristics, and nutrient cycling are included for most crop species. The Cover Crop Chart is easy to use, requiring only Adobe Acrobat software. Using the chart as a guide, users can select individual crop species by clicking on the name which will direct them to additional information about the selected crop. Icons within each crop page return the user to the chart, thereby easily allowing comparisons of different crops. The Cover Crop Chart represents a compendium of information from multiple sources throughout the U.S. and Canada, and is not based on research conducted at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL). Primary sources of information included the Midwest Cover Crops Council, USDA - Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE), USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) PLANTS Database, relevant peer-reviewed journal articles, and the 3rd edition of *Managing Cover Crops Profitably* (Andy Clark, Editor). Information on specific crops is occasionally generalized and/or approximate to accommodate wide variation in geographic/agronomic conditions, and therefore may not reflect performance in on-farm conditions. Accordingly, USDA - Agricultural Research Service (ARS) makes no guarantee to the performance of specific crops based on information provided within the Cover Crop Chart. The Cover Crop Chart is produced and distributed by the staff of the USDA-ARS NGPRL, Mandan, ND. Mark Liebig and Holly Johnson contributed to the design and content of the chart with input from NGPRL staff and producers and technicians from the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts of North Dakota and NRCS staff at the Bismarck and Dickinson Field/Area Offices.

This dataset contains water balance data for each year when sunflower was grown at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU), Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL). Sunflower was grown on two large, precision weighing lysimeters, each in the center of a 4.44 ha square field in 2009 and 2011. Irrigation was by linear move sprinkler system. Full irrigations were managed to replenish soil water used by the crop on a weekly or more frequent basis as determined by soil profile water content readings made with a neutron probe to 2.4-m depth in the field. Deficit irrigations were less than full - see crop calendars and irrigation data in these files for details. The weighing lysimeters were used to measure relative soil water storage to 0.05 mm accuracy at 5-minute intervals, and the 5-minute change in soil water storage was used along with precipitation and irrigation amounts to calculate crop evapotranspiration (ET), which is reported at 15-minute intervals. Because the large (3 m by 3 m surface area) weighing lysimeters are better rain gages than are tipping bucket gages, the 15-minute precipitation data are derived for each lysimeter from changes in lysimeter mass. The land slope is <0.3% and flat. The water balance data consist of 15-minute and daily amounts of evapotranspiration (ET), dew/frost fall, precipitation (rain/snow), irrigation, scale counterweight adjustment, and emptying of drainage tanks, all in mm. The values are the result of a rigorous quality control process involving algorithms for detecting dew/frost accumulations, and precipitation (rain and snow). Changes in lysimeter mass due to emptying of drainage tanks, counterweight adjustment, maintenance activity, and harvest are accounted for such that ET values are minimally affected. The ET data should be considered to be the best values offered in these datasets. Even though ET data are also presented in the "lysimeter" datasets, the values herein are the result of a more rigorous quality control process. Dew and frost accumulation varies from year to year and seasonally within a year, and it is affected by lysimeter surface condition [bare soil, tillage condition, residue amount and orientation (flat or standing), etc.]. Particularly during winter and depending on humidity and cloud cover, dew and frost accumulation sometimes accounts for an appreciable percentage of total daily ET. These datasets originate from research aimed at determining crop water use (ET), crop coefficients for use in ET-based irrigation scheduling based on a reference ET, crop growth, yield, harvest index, and crop water productivity as affected by irrigation method, timing, amount (full or some degree of deficit), agronomic practices, cultivar, and weather. Prior publications have focused on sunflower ET, crop coefficients, and crop water productivity. Crop coefficients have been used by ET networks. The data have utility for testing simulation models of crop ET, growth, and yield.

This dataset consists of growth and yield data for each season when sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) was grown for seed at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU) research weather station, Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL). In each season, sunflower was grown on two large, precision weighing lysimeters, each in the center of a 4.44 ha square field. The square fields are themselves arranged in a larger square with four fields in four adjacent quadrants of the larger square. Fields and lysimeters within each field are thus designated northeast (NE), southeast (SE), northwest (NW), and southwest (SW). Sunflower was grown in the NE and SE fields. Irrigation was by linear move sprinkler system. Irrigation protocols described as full were managed to replenish soil water used by the crop on a weekly or more frequent basis as determined by soil profile water content readings made with a neutron probe to 2.4-m depth in the field. Irrigation protocols described as deficit typically involved irrigations to establish the crop early in the season, followed by reduced or absent irrigations later in the season (typically in the later winter and spring). The growth and yield data include plant population density, height, plant row width, leaf area index, growth stage, total above-ground biomass, leaf and stem biomass, head mass (when present), kernel number, and final yield. Data are from replicate samples in the field and non-destructive (except for final harvest) measurements on the weighing lysimeters. In most cases yield data are available from both manual sampling on replicate plots in each field and from machine harvest. These datasets originate from research aimed at determining crop water use (ET), crop coefficients for use in ET-based irrigation scheduling based on a reference ET, crop growth, yield, harvest index, and crop water productivity as affected by irrigation method, timing, amount (full or some degree of deficit), agronomic practices, cultivar, and weather. Prior publications have focused on sunflower ET, crop coefficients, and crop water productivity. Crop coefficients have been used by ET networks. The data have utility for testing simulation models of crop ET, growth, and yield and have been used for testing, and calibrating models of ET that use satellite and/or weather data.