There exist crops like rice or sugarcane, which need more water than crops like beans and wheat. The table below gives some idea about the different seasonal water needs of the most important field crops.
| Crop
|
Crop water need
(mm/total growing period) |
| Alfalfa | 800-1600 |
| Banana | 1200-2200 |
| Barley/Oats/Wheat | 450-650 |
| Bean | 300-500 |
| Cabbage | 350-500 |
| Citrus | 900-1200 |
| Cotton | 700-1300 |
| Maize | 500-800 |
| Melon | 400-600 |
| Onion | 350-550 |
| Peanut | 500-700 |
| Pea | 350-500 |
| Pepper | 600-900 |
| Potato | 500-700 |
| Rice (paddy) | 450-700 |
| Sorghum/Millet | 450-650 |
| Soybean | 450-700 |
| Sugar beet | 550-750 |
| Sugarcane | 1500-2500 |
| Sunflower | 600-1000 |
| Tomato | 400-800 |
Approximate values of seasonal crop water needs. Source: FAO (1986)
