Sorghum has good ability to adjust to water stress. Preplant irrigation is often not needed, and the same amount of water may be more efficiently used if applied at later stages of crop growth especially for conventional graded furrow irrigation systems. Conservation tillage can reduce the need for preplant irrigation of sorghum through improved soil moisture storage. Corn is planted earlier than sorghum which typically allows more efficient use of the May-June wet season than for sorghum. However, early planting dates required for corn increases the need for preplant irrigation for stand establishment.
Drought seasons require one or two additional irrigations.
Reduced irrigation of corn has generally resulted in significant yield decreases. Planned water deficits into the stress range are feasible only on soils with moderate to high water storage and during the early vegetative or grain ripening stages. Reduced acreage, rather than reduced irrigation, offers the primary way to adjust corn irrigation to limited water supplies. Winter wheat is a major drought tolerant crop with a 9-month growing season. Wheat grows vegetatively during the drier fall to early spring period and develops grain during a period of increasing spring rainfall.