Contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the United States Department of the Interior, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government. All programs and information of the Texas Water Resources Institute are available to everyone without regard to race, ethnic origin, religion, sex or age. As expected, experimental results for yield and water use efficiency have varied for these four major crops, but many common principles have likewise emerged from this research. Definite improvements in water use efficiency have been made, and widespread application of these management principles is underway. Limited irrigation is now being widely practiced on drought tolerant crops that take advantage of expected rainfall.
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.