Water can be used more efficiently on sugar beets by applying one last major irrigation to recharge the entire soil profile at the onset of the major stress period. This is about the first of August. Sugar beets adapt to limited irrigations by using deeply stored soil water and quickly recovering, when water is made available following major stress. Normal irrigations of sugar beets could be reduced after the middle of July. Sucrose yield is likely to be reduced very little when a final heavy irrigation is applied in early August.
Corn is very sensitive to drought stress, especially during flowering and reproductive stages.
Stress during 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 much like corn.