Water management directly impacts the success of any crop but especially wheat and other small grains. Scheduling irrigation
events to occur when the crop and soil require it is key to maximizing irrigation efficiency and crop production. There are
approximately six critical crop growth stages when the crop should not be under any water related stress to maximize crop
production and quality: the 5 leaf stage, 2 nodes, pre-boot, heading/flowering, milk, and soft dough. Although these are good rules of
thumb, there are several other factors that influence when an irrigation event should occur to maximize crop production, quality, and
irrigation efficiency. Determining the active root zone, the soil moisture content within the active root zone, crop growth stage, and
weather conditions should be considered when making irrigation scheduling decisions
To the right, is a “Mean Consumptive Use Chart” from
the University of Arizona that estimates the water
requirements for Wheat produced in Arizona. The
estimated crop water use is broken down into the first
and last half of each month. Divide one of those
halves, for a given month, by 15 to determine an
estimated daily water requirement. Once a daily
requirement has been established, take half of the
water holding capacity of a field and divide it by the
daily water requirement. The result is a rough
estimation of how many days you have between
irrigation events to avoid water related crop stress.
Again, this is a rough estimate. It does not take into
consideration weather or soil conditions.
The WCMP is available to assist with irrigation scheduling, interpreting consumptive use charts, determining water holding
capacities, and many other technical irrigation services to help you become as efficient as possible. Call the WCMP today!!
WCMP SERVICES
❖ Irrigation System Performance Evaluations
❖ Flow Rate Measurement
❖ Ag BMP Enrollment
❖ Irrigation Scheduling Assistance
❖ Topographic Survey
❖ Soil Texture & Water Holding Capacity Identification
❖ Root Depth Determination
❖ Field & Set Size Measurement
Call the WCMP today!
480.466.2968
