Sunflower irrigation

The critical periods for water consumption in sunflowers are the stages of early budding, flowering, and seed filling. Moisture deficiency during the budding period and the onset of flowering, when the head diameter reaches 1.9–2.5 cm, can lead to losses of up to 50% of the yield. To optimize growth, it is necessary to maintain soil moisture in the 100 cm calculated layer at 70–80% of field capacity.

Despite the root system's ability to penetrate to a depth of 1.5–2 meters and a high level of drought tolerance, the crop consumes moisture intensively, exceeding wheat in this indicator. When irrigating, it is necessary to avoid watering during the physiological maturity stage, as well as heavy irrigation before the start of flowering, which can provoke the development of head rots. Using irrigation significantly increases the efficiency of mineral fertilizer application, providing a yield increase of up to 2.0 t/ha.