ABSTRACT
The critical physiological stages for applying irrigation in maize in north and central India have been found to be early vegetative stage and tasselling and silking stage. The irrigation requirement of maize varies with the type of soil and season in which grown depending upon the rainfall received. Evapotranspiration (ETc), or crop water use, is the water removed from the soil by evaporation from the soil surface and transpiration by the plant. For maize, evaporation can account for 20 percent to 30 percent of growing season ETc. The goal of irrigation management should be to provide supplemental water while considering the economic and environmental consequences. Irrigation management is basically deciding when to irrigate and how much to apply. Well-timed irrigations provide enough water to prevent crop stress while fully using water from rainfall and available in the soil.
