Corn Irrigation Management Under Water-Limiting Conditions

Full irrigation management is not always an option due to the effects of drought, declining water table depths, reduced stream flow, water allocations, irrigation system design capacity, economic considerations, etc. Therefore, less irrigation than what is required to meet crop evapotranspiration is applied, which has led to limited and deficit irrigation management practices. When managing corn under water-limiting conditions, it is important for agricultural producers to have knowledge of temporal changes in crop water use and plant water availability as well as knowing the critical periods or growth stages the crop is most sensitive to water stress to try and maximize yield per unit of water applied.