Field experiment was conducted during dry season of 1981 and 1982 to determine the optimal irrigation schedule for summer peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) in relation to evaporative demand and crop water requirement at different growth stages. It was observed that peanut crop requires a higher irrigation frequency schedule during pegging to pod formation stage followed by pod development to maturity and planting to flowering stages. The higher pod yield and water use efficiency was obtained when irrigations were scheduled at an irrigation water to the cumulative pan evaporation ratio of 0.5 during planting to flowering, 0.9 during pegging to pod formation and 0.7 during pod development to maturity stage. The profile water contribution to total crop water use was higher under less frequent irrigation schedules particularly when the irrigations were scheduled at 0.5 irrigation water to the cumulative pan evaporation ratio up to the pod formation stage.