Afternoon leaf wilting during hot, dry, windy conditions has negligible effects on total sugar production. Water can be used more efficiently on sugarbeets by applying one last major irrigation to recharge the entire soil profile at the onset of the major stress period. Sugarbeets adapt to limited irrigations by using deeply stored soil water and quickly recovering, when water is made available following major stress periods. Normal irrigations of sugarbeets could be reduced after the middle of July. Sucrose yield is likely to be reduced very little when such a practice is used and a final heavy irrigation is applied in early August.
Corn is very sensitive to drought stress, especially during the flowering and reproductive stages.
Stress during the early vegetative stage is not nearly as serious as stress during flowering, pollination and early seed filling. Stress during any part of the cropping season limits grain corn production. To maximize water use efficiency in grain corn, it is best to limit irrigations during the vegetative stage. The period from emergence to 12-leaf was lease sensitive to stress. Barley responds to drought stress much like corn and other cereal crops.