An understanding of likely impact of water stresses on yield and quality is important for developing optimum irrigation practices for cotton in the region. Irrigationg a crop for 12 h to 24 h depending upon the bed length (between 200 in and 500 m) is a common practice in the valley (Wood et al 1998). This practice of extended duration of irrigation is commonly associated with shallow rooted crops on 1.8 m wide beds. This might contribute to water logging stress in dins cracking clay son as Hearn and Constable (1984) and Hodgson and Chan (1982) reported inadequate soil aeration for cotton in a clay soil after furrow irrigation. Furthermore, a rapid onset of water deficit stress, particularly in the top 30 cm soil profile which dries out within 5 to 10 days of watering has also been observed due to a hot and dry conditions in the Ord (Muchow and Keating, 1998). The aim of his study was to compare the relative magnitude of water logging and water deficit stresses on plant water status and yield between wide and ridge beds for a range of irrigation management systems Gravimetric and volumetric soil water contents and air-filled porosity were measured to a depth of 1.2 my before and 48 h after irrigation.