Summary:

Vegetables generally have large water demands and high sensitivity to water deficiency, especially in a growth stages crucial for the yielding. In deficiency of the precipitation, irrigation in appropriate: term and amount, as well as with suitable method significantly improves the quantity and quality of the crop and reduces the development of physiological diseases. Popular in the world, albeit low economical methods are: flood and furrow irrigation; in Poland generally sprinkle irrigation is applied. More and more often in field conditions, drip irrigation is introduced - efficient, water and energy saving method, allowing for precision irrigation and fertilization. Increasingly limited access to the water sources, soil erosion and contamination of groundwater tend to conduct researches into more economic and efficient, simultaneously environmental-friendly methods of irrigation. In the paper the results of the latest worldwide research on irrigation of tomato and cucumber in the field conditions were presented. The most important issues related to the water requirements of these popular vegetables were depicted, compares the effects of different irrigation methods and solutions aimed at increasing of the efficiency of irrigation were presented.