IRRIGATION REQUIREMENT, CROP

The amount of irrigation water in acre-feet per acre required by the crop; the quantity of water, exclusive of precipitation, that is required for production of a specific crop. It is the difference between Crop Consumptive Use or Crop Requirement and the effective precipitation for plant growth. To this amount the following items, as applicable, are added: (1) irrigation applied prior to crop growth; (2) water required for leaching; (3) miscellaneous requirements of germination, frost protection, plant cooling, etc.; and (4) the decrease in soil moisture should be subtracted.