The growth and yield of sunflower plants can be influenced by the plant population arrangement and the type of irrigation system adopted to meet the water requirements of the crop. This study examines the influence of different irrigation systems and spacings between planting rows on the development of sunflower cultivars for the sub-middle region of São Francisco Valley. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with a split-plot arrangement in which the plots consisted of three irrigation systems (drip, micro-sprinkler and sprinkler); sub-plots were represented by three spacings between planting rows (0.65, 0.55 and 0.45 m); and sub-sub-plots corresponded to two sunflower cultivars (Hélio 251 and Hélio 360). The following variables were analyzed: plant height; number of leaves; stem diameter; number of heads; head diameter; dry biomass of stems, leaves and heads; and achene yield. The different irrigation systems and row spacings markedly influenced the growth of the sunflower cultivars. The highest yield of cultivar Hélio 251 was obtained with the drip irrigation system and 0.55 m spacing. Cultivar Hélio 360 achieved the highest yields when irrigated by the micro-sprinkler system at 0.55 and 0.45 m spacing. In the sprinkler irrigation system, cultivar Hélio 360 obtained the highest yield at 0.45 m spacing.