The objective of the work was to study the growth, development and yield formation of grain sorghum under different irrigation methods according to the following variants: 1–without irrigation, 2 – sprinkling, 3 – by furrows, 4 – by furrow-slots, 5 – combined irrigation method: sprinkling from the beginning of vegetation till the phase of 10 leaves and then by furrows; 6 – intrasoil trickle watering at seeding and sprinkling during vegetation. It is established that irrigation provides to the crop the required amount of moisture comparing to the variant without irrigation. Irrigation also creates better conditions for growth and development which is confirmed by 10-12 % greater plant height; by 20-50 % greater leaf area, and by 45-50 % greater biomass. Better moisture conditions for yield formation of grain sorghum (14.4 t/ha) were created in the 6th variant under the combination of intrasoil trickle watering at seeding and then sprinkling, as well as in the 5th variant under sprinkling in the initial growing periods and then irrigation by furrows. In the 5th variant the crop yield was 14.2 t/ha, which exceeded by 92 % the variant without irrigation. The greatest water consumption (6850 m³/ha) was observed in the 4th variant at irrigation by furrow-slots against 4709 m³/ha at the variant without irrigation. More efficiently the water was used in the 5th variant under sprinkling during initial growing periods and then watering by furrows according to the scheme of the 4th variant, where the water consumption coefficient was the least (463 m³/t), and in the 6th variant with intrasoil watering – sprinkling (472 m³/t) against 682 m³/t at the variant without irrigation.
