Furrow (conventional) and drip irrigated corn yields (Zea Mays L.) were compared on an old irrigated sierozem deep silt loam for two consecutive years in Central Asian Uzbekistan. Irrigation application schedules were based on soil moisture content in the rooting zone, which was monitored with a neutron probe. The criteria were the depletion of this zone by corn to a specific fraction of field capacity (FC) during three key development stages (eg. x% FC, y% FC, z% FC) and involved four such treatments. Maize water use was estimated via the soil water balance method. Findings showed that for both furrow and drip irrigated maize, top yield in both years was reached with scheduling to hold soil moisture content at 75-75-70% of FC. At 75-75-70% of FC, furrow irrigation yielded 6 % (0.35 Mg/ha dry grain) more compared with the 65-65-60% treatment Yet, under drip irrigation the 75-75-70% treatment yielded 9% ( 0.56 Mg/ha) more than the 65-65-60% schedule. Compared with surface irrigation, drip yielded on average 4.5% (0.28 Mg/ha) more under the 75-75-70% of FC treatment. Maize water use for furrow irrigation ranged from 547-629 mm compared with 371-428 mm for drip irrigation. Irrigation water use efficiency was always superior for drip irrigation compared with furrow irrigation.
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