The water flow of the soil was examined in the rainy crop year of 2010 in pea population of various sowing dates (optimal and late sowing) in a 27-year-long multifactorial long term experiment. The examination results showed that the moisture content of the 200 cm soil profile was also greatly affected by the water use of maize which was the previous crop of pea. Pea intensively relies on the moisture content of the 0–100 cm soil profile, while the lower 100–200 cm layer has no role in the water supply of the population. Of the two sowing dates, the change of moisture in the late sowing date (V2) plots was more dynamic in all three layers during the whole growing season and the water use of the pea population was more intensive. The analysis of yield leads to the conclusion that the water balance of the soil in irrigated areas was not enough to provide the necessary circumstances for the static water need of pea and airless conditions developed in the root zone. As a result of the high amount of precipitation during the growing season, the flowering of the pea population sown at the late sowing date was also protracted and unfavourable circumstances prevailed during fertilisation as a result of the high amount of water stored in the soil.

Keywords: soil moisture, water loss, irrigation, precipitation, pea, yield, sowing date