Water Requirements (Chapter 6)

The main objective of irrigation is to provide plants with sufficient water to prevent stress that may cause reduced yield or poor quality of harvest (Haise and Hagan, 1967; Taylor, 1965). The required timing and amount of applied water is governed by the prevailing climatic conditions, crop and stage of growth, soil moisture holding capacity, and the extent of root development as determined by type of crop, stage of growth, and soil.