Tendo em vista a distribuição irregular de chuvas no nordeste, a irrigação se torna de grande importância, uma vez que passa a ser a principal alternativa racional de exploração das culturas agrícolas. Num projeto de irrigação, a evapotranspiração da cultura (ETc) é a variável mais importante, pois determina qual a quantidade de água a ser reposta, de forma a manter a produtividade a níveis rentáveis. Sendo a ETc função da evapotranspiração de referência (ETo), a determinação desta passa a ser fundamental em projetos, no planejamento e no manejo de irrigação. Dentro deste contexto o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a estimativa da ETo, utilizando, para tanto, medidas lisimétricas e métodos de estimativa que foram comparados com valores de ETo obtidos com a equação de Penman-Monteith (Allen et al., 1998). Os métodos de estimativa de ETo empregados foram: Thornthwaite (1948), Thornthwaite modificado por Camargo et al. (1999), Tanque de Evaporação Classe A (Allen et al., 1998), Hargreaves & Samani (1985) e Priestley & Taylor (1972). A análise foi realizada em relação ao período de março a junho dos anos de 1997 e 1998, com dados coletados em uma estação meteorológica automática instalada na Estação Experimental do Vale do Curu, no Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Agroindústria Tropical, pertencente à EMBRAPA, Paraipaba, CE, onde também se encontrava instalado um lisímetro de pesagem (área = 2,205m2), com células de carga. A análise foi baseada em dados diários, qüinqüidiais e decendiais, utilizando-se a análise de regressão, os índices de concordância de Willmott (1985) e de desempenho de Camargo e Sentelhas (1997), além dos seguintes erros: erro médio absoluto (EMA), erro máximo (EM), erro sistemático (Es) e erro aleatório (Ea). Os resultados obtidos mostraram que os dados medidos em lisímetro, se ajustaram de forma regular aos valores de ETo estimados pelo método de Penman-Monteith, nas três escalas de tempo avaliadas, o que indica a possibilidade de problemas na operação e manutenção desse dispositivo. Com relação aos métodos de estimativa de ETo, os que melhor se ajustaram aos valores obtidos por Penman-Monteith foram: Priestley & Taylor (1972) nas escalas diária e decendial e Thornthwaite modificado por Camargo et al. (1999) na escala qüinqüidial, porém, com erros sisitemáticos. Devido a isso, foram propostos ajustes com base nesses métodos. O ajuste constou de modificações no coeficiente ( f ) do método de Thornthwaite modificado por Camargo et al. (1999) e no parâmetro α da equação de Priestley-Taylor (1972), que foram modificados respectivamente para 0,379 e 1,19. Observou-se um desempenho considerado bom para o método de Priestley-Taylor (α = 1,19) e muito bom para Thornthwaite modificado por Camargo et al. (1999) (f = 0,379), indicando a potencialidade de seus usos em condições climáticas semelhantes às desse estudo, quando há limitação de dados meteorológicos. / The irregular distribuition of rain in the Brazil’s northeast region become irrigation very important, being the main rational alternative to produce food. In an irrigation project the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) is the most important variable, which determine how much water is necessary to be applied to maintain the yield at high levels. Being ETc funcion of reference evapotranspiration (ETo), the determination of this variabel is fundamental in irrigation projects and schedule. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate ETo estimates from lysimetric measures and other methods, which were compaired with the ETo values obtained by Penman-Monteith equation (Allen et al., 1998). The methods used were: Thornthwaite (1948), Thornthwaite modified by Camargo et al. (1999), Class A pan (Allen et al., 1998), Hargreaves & Samani (1985) and Priestley-Taylor (1972). The data were analysed during the period from march to june, in 1997 and 1998. The meteorological data were collected in an automatic weather station located at Vale do Curu Experimental Station, in the Tropical Agroindustry National Research Center, belonged to EMBRAPA, in Paraipaba, State of Ceará, Brazil, where a weighing lysimeter using strain gauge was installed (area = 2,205m2). The data analysis were based on daily, quinquidial and decendial time scale, and were done utilizing regression analysis, agreement (Willmott, 1981) and performance (Camargo & Sentelhas, 1997) indexes, and the following errors: absolute mean error (EMA), maximum error (EM), sistematic error (Es) and random error (Ea). The results obtained showed that ETo lysimeric measures did not fit well with ETo estimated by Penman-Monteith equation in all time scales evaluated, what problably is related to the problems in the operation and maintenance of this equipament. In relation to the other methods to estimate ETo, the best fits were obtained with Priestley-Taylor (1972), for daily and decendial data, and with Thornthwaite modified by Camargo et al. (1999), for quinquidial data. Howerer, these methods presented sistematic errors, being proposed adjusts in the parameters f for the Thornthwaite modified by Camargo et al. (1999) and α for the Priestley-Taylor methods, which were modified, recpectively, to 0.379 and 1.19. With these modifications these methods improved the ETo estimation, increasing the accuracy and decreasing the errors, being classified by the performance index as good and very good, indicating their potenciality for be used in similar climatic conditions of this study, where complete set of weather data are not available.

Diante dos recentes estudos sobre as mudanças climáticas, a preocupação sobre a repartição e a disponibilidades dos recursos hídricos é cada vez maior, estimulando pesquisas sobre métodos de reuso de água. Dentre estes métodos, o uso de efluente de estação de tratamento de esgoto (EETE) para irrigação de culturas agrícolas apresenta várias vantagens, como por exemplo, suprir a necessidade hídrica das plantas e fornecer nutrientes essenciais ao seu desenvolvimento, evitar o despejo dos efluentes nos corpos dágua e ainda poderia ser considerado como um tratamento complementar dos esgotos tratados. Entretanto, os impactos nos solos tropicais que o uso de efluentes para irrigação agrícola podem causar precisam ser melhores conhecidos. Desta forma, pesquisas vêm sendo realizadas desde 2002 no campo experimental de reuso de água em Lins (SP) cujos objetivos visam a sustentabilidade do uso de efluente de tratamento de esgoto para irrigação de culturas agrícolas. Entre as culturas ali estudadas selecionou-se para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho de doutorado, a área cultivada com capim-Bermuda Tifton 85 e o foco da pesquisa foi avaliar os efeitos da irrigação com efluente sobre a matéria orgânica do solo (MOS). O delineamento experimental foi de blocos completos casualisados com três tratamentos e quatro repetições e o período do experimento em campo foi de junho de 2007 a junho de 2009. Os tratamentos avaliados foram SI: sem irrigação e sem fertilização, tratamento de referência, E66 - irrigação com EETE e adubação de 343 kg ha-1 ano-1 de nitrato de amônio, 416 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \'ano POT.-1\' de K2O e 140 kg \'ha POT.-1\' ano-1 \'P IND.2\'\'O IND.5\' e W100: irrigação com água potável e adição de 520 kg ha-1 ano-1 de nitrogênio via nitrato de amônio, 416 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \'ano POT.-1\' de K2O e 140 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \'ano POT.-1\' \'P IND.2\'\'O IND.5\'. A mineralogia do solo determinada por difração de raios-X, análise térmica diferencial e por espectroscopia de refletância difusa, apresentou-se simples, caracterizada, principalmente, pela presença dominante de quartzo e por caulinita, gibbsita, goethita e hematita. A água do solo foi coletada por meio de lisimetros de sucção e observou-se uma forte correlação (0,93) entre os valores de \'NO IND.2\' POT.-\' e de \'NO IND.3 POT.-\' e coeficientes de correlação mais baixos, mas ainda consideráveis entre a profundidade e o \'K POT.+\', \'Na POT.+\' e \'NO IND.3\'\'POT.-\', \'Cl POT.-\' e \'F POT.-\', \'Cl POT.-\' e \'SO IND.4\'\'POT.2-\'. Apesar dos altos teores de carbono orgânico dissolvido e de amônio no efluente, a correlação entre estes compostos foi negativa (0,40), reforçando estudos anteriores que mostraram que o alto teor de \'NH IND.4\'\'POT.+\' estimula uma alta atividade microbiana, resultando numa rápida oxidação do amônio em nitrato e subsequente absorção desta espécie pelas plantas. No solo, os teores de carbono foram baixos (inferiores a 1%) para os solos irrigados (E66 e W100) e para o solo de referência (SI), com esses valores decrescendo com a profundidade. O estoque de carbono foi menor nos solos irrigados que no solo sem irrigação. As amostras de solo dos tratamentos SI e E66 foram submetidas à separação densimétrica, obtendo-se as frações: densidade <1,6 livre, composta por restos de planta poucos decompostas; densidade superior a 2, representada pela fase mineral; e as frações de densidade <1,6 occ, 1,6<d<1,8; 1,8<d<2,0, compostas de fragmentos de planta cobertos pela fase mineral. Observou-se que em ambos os solos mais de 60% de carbono encontrava-se associado à fase mineral, sendo principalmente formado por matéria orgânica muito humificada e matéria orgânica associada aos microrganismos. Os resultados obtidos das análises da razão isotópica do C (\'delta\'\'POT.13\'C) nos solos totais não evidenciaram influência do efluente, porém mostraram que a irrigação promoveu uma desestruturação dos agregados. Esta observação foi confirmada pela comparação dos índices de humificação das frações de densidades superior a 2 calculados a partir dos teores de carbono e das intensidades de fluorescência induzidas por laser. Os espectros de fluorescência da matéria orgânica extraída por uma solução NaOH 1 mol \'L POT.-1\' e tratados com o método matemático PARAFAC, permitiram identificar três componentes: a primeira associada as proteínas, a segunda aos ácidos húmicos e a terceira aos ácidos fúlvicos. Apesar da interpretação dos resultados ter sido dificultada pela provável não homogeneidade da extração da matéria orgânica, eles indicaram uma transferência da matéria orgânica mais lábil das camadas superficiais para as camada mais profunda do perfil de solo. A análise conjunta dos resultados obtidos permitiu concluir que: (i) a diminuição do estoque de carbono dos solos irrigados e o aumento do grau de humificação da matéria orgânica do solo associada à fração mineral são, principalmente, conseqüência da desestabilização dos agregados devido aos altos teores de sódio do efluente e água potável. O controle do processo de sodificação é fundamental para manter as características da matéria orgânica do solo, bem como para manter sua condutividade hidráulica; (ii) não foram observadas diferenças entre o comportamento da matéria orgânica do solo irrigado com efluente de estação de tratamento de esgoto e a do solo irrigado com água potável. Evidenciando que as alterações na MOS são provenientes, sobretudo, do processo de irrigação com águas sódicas e não especificamente com efluente de estação de tratamento de esgoto; (iii) as técnicas de fluorescência utilizadas para a carcacterização da matéria orgânica aparentemente se mostraram sensíveis para monitorar as variações da MOS, no entanto, ainda é necessário se conhecer melhor a relação entre os sinais observados nos espectros e as propriedades agronômicas. / In face of recent studies on climate changes, the concern about sharing availability of water resources is increasing, stimulating research about methods of water reuse. Among these methods, the use of treated sewage effluent (TSE) for irrigation of agricultural crops presents several advantages, such as supplying water for plants, providing essential nutrients for its development, avoiding effluent spillage in the water stream and it might be also considered a supplementary treatment to treated sewage effluent. In the mean time, the impact the effluents might cause on tropical soils, requires further study. In this way, some research on the reuse of water-experimental-field is being carried out in Lins(SP) since 2002. The main objective of this research is to reuse the effluent water to irrigate crops in a sustainable way. Among the studied crops, the planted area with Tifton 85 Bermudagrass was selected in order to develop this Study. The experimental layout was of randomized complete blocks and composed of three treatments, four repetitions and the period of the experiment in the field was carried out from June 2007 to June 2009. The treatments applied were SI: without irrigation and without fertilization, the reference treatment, E66 - irrigated with TSE and fertilized with 343 kg ha-1 year-1 ammonium nitrate, 416 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \'year POT.-1\' of K2O and 140 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \' year POT.-1\' of \'P IND.2\'\'O IND.5\' , and W100 - irrigated with drinking water and fertilized with 520 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \'year POT.-1\' ammonium nitrate, 416 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \'year POT.-1\' of K2O and 140 kg \'ha POT.-1\' \'year POT.-1\' of \'P IND.2\'\'O IND.5\'. The soil mineralogy that was determined by X-ray diffraction, Thermogravimetric analysis and Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, was simple, mainly characterized by Kaolinite, gibbsite, goethite and hematite. The soil water was collected by suction lysimeter and showed a strong correlation (0,93) between \'NO IND.2\'\'POT.-\' and \'NO IND.3\'\'POT.-\' values and lower correlation, but still noticeable, between depth and \'K POT.+\', \'Na POT.+\' e \'NO IND.3\'\'POT.-\', \'Cl POT.-\' e \'F POT.-\', \'Cl POT.-\' e \'SO IND.4 POT.2-\'. Regardless the high concentration of dissolved organic carbon and ammonium of the effluent, the correlation between those component was negative (0,40) strengthening previous studies which showed that high concentration of NH4+ promote a high microbiological activity, resulting in quick oxidation of the ammonium in nitrate and subsequent absorption of this specie by plants. In the soil, concentrations of carbon were low (lower than 1%) for the irrigated soils (E66 and W100) and for the reference (SI) soil, and those values decreased according to the depth. The soils samples of SI and E66 were separated in density fractions. The fractions obtained were: dentisy <1,6 free, composed of plant fragments poorly decomposed; density >2 is composed by the mineral phase; The fraction of densities <1,6 occ, 1,6<d<1,8; 1,8<d<2,0 was composed by plant fragments incrusted by minerals . In both soils more than 60% of the carbon was associated with the mineral phase, mainly composed by highly humified organic matter and microbial product. The results obtained from \'delta\'\'ANTPOT.13\'C isotopic ratio analysis of total soils failed to prove the influence of the effluent, but showed irrigation promoted aggregate destabilisation. This observation was confirmed by the comparison of the humification indices of density >2 fractions, which were calculated from the carbon concentrations and Lazer induced fluorescence intensities. The fluorescence spectres of organic matter extracted by NaOH 1 mol \'L POT.-1\' and treated parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) algorithm, permits the identification of 3 components: the first associated to protein, the second to humic acid and the third to fulvic acid. Regardless the difficult interpretation of the results due to the probable non-homogeneity of the extraction, they indicate a transfer of solute organic matter from superficial to deeper layers of the soil. The analysis of the results obtained allows us to conclude: (i) the decrease of the soil carbon on irrigated soils and the increase of the humification of the mineral associated organic matter are caused mainly by the destabilization of aggregates due to high concentration of Na+ in the effluent and drinking water. The control of the sodification process is fundamental to maintain soil organic matter characteristic, as well as the soil hydraulic conductivity. Differences in the behavior of the soil organic matter from effluent irrigated soil and drinking water irrigated soil were not observed. This shows that the changes are due to irrigation with sodic water and not specifically to waste water treatment plant effluent irrigation. The control of the sodification process is fundamental to maintain the soil organic matter characteristic, as well as the soil hydraulic conductivity. (ii) Differences in the behaviour of the soil organic matter between effluent irrigated soil and drinking water irrigated soil were not observed. This shows that the changes are due to the irrigation with sodic water and not specifically to the irrigation with waste water treatment plant effluent. (iii) the fluorescence utilized to characterized the organic matter apparently showed sensitiveness to monitor MOS variations. However, further study is essential in order to understand the relationship among the observed scope and agronomic properties.

A função condutividade hidráulica é um dos parâmetros essenciais para o estudo do fluxo em solos não saturados, permitindo abordar, dentre outros, o avanço da frente de umedecimento e questões como a irrigação e drenagem de solos. Para determinar a condutividade hidráulica não saturada de um solo típico da região Centro-Oeste do Estado de São Paulo, utilizou-se o infiltrômetro de disco. Este equipamento permite conduzir a infiltração de água, estando esta sujeita a um potencial negativo. Com os dados de infiltração acumulada e tempo acumulado obtidos em cada ensaio, foi possível determinar os valores da condutividade hidráulica não saturada e sortividade. Os cálculos foram feitos por diferentes métodos para cada ensaio realizado com o infiltrômetro de disco e comparadas com resultados de ensaios utilizando o permeâmetro Guelph. Observou-se que as condutividades hidráulica não saturadas obtidas com o infiltrômetro de disco tenderam a valores próximos das fornecidas indiretamente por meio do permeâmetro Guelph, com dispersão de aproximadamente uma ordem de grandeza para cada sucção. Também se observou que a condutividade hidráulica não saturada tende a diminuir conforme aumenta a sucção imposta ao solo, mesmo considerando a estreita faixa de sucções usadas nos ensaios. Notou-se ainda pequena variação nas condutividades hidráulicas saturadas calculadas por meio do infiltrômetro de disco, por meio de medidas diretas utilizando o permeâmetro Guelph e ensaios de permeabilidade realizados em laboratório. / The hydraulic conductivity function is essential to the study of water flow in unsaturated soils. From function there can be derived the advancement of the humidification (saturation) front, among other parameters, which is essential to projects of irrigation and drainage of soils. A disk infiltrometer was used to determine the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of a sample of typical soil from central São Paulo, Brazil. The disk infiltrometer apparatus conducts the infiltration water, which is held at negative potential. Data for cumulative infiltration and elapsed time for each test was used to determine values of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity. Different methodology was applied in the calculations. Data for each experiment carried out utilizing the disk infiltrometer was compared to data obtained utilizing the permeameter of Guelph. It was observed that the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity obtained through the disk infiltrometer yielded values near those obtained indirectly by the permeameter of Guelph, which showed dispersion approximately within one order of magnitude for each suctioning performed. Furthermore, it was observed that the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity tends to diminish in magnitude in an inverse relation to the suction pressure subjected by the soil, even after considering the narrow band of suction pressures carried out in the tests. It was further observed a small variation in the saturated hydraulic conductivities computed from data obtained directly from the infiltrometer disk, the permeameter of Guelph, and other permeability tests done in laboratory.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T14:33:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_clistenes_antonio_guadagnin.pdf: 835986 bytes, checksum: 25fc3a6cc44435c193b1e97429759ec7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-09-23 / The family-based agriculture in the Western region of Santa Catarina State is characterized by a diversity of integrated crop-livestock systems, combining different uses and managements in a complex set of soil types. These systems can changes in their physical and hydrological properties and influence its physical qualities, including the capacity to storage of water available to crops. In the studied region, periods of water deficiencies frequently reduce the productivity of maize, the crop of major socioeconomic importance. This study complies a priority demand set in 2009 by Epagri UGT9 in the field of water resources management, focusing methods of catchment, storage and use of water in agriculture. Our goals were to analyze the changes in the soil's physical and hydrological properties in several production systems and the effects of water limitation on maize production. We analyzed the effect of land uses and management in the commonest soil types and on the readily available water storage and estimated the reduction in productivity due to water limitation in simulations, considering different seeding seasons. We conducted the research in 36 family-based properties in the West region of Santa Catarina State. We collected soil samples of three classes, in three land uses and management types, four properties and four soil layers (0-0.10, 0.10-0.20, 0.20-0.40 e 0.40-0.60 m), totaling 144 samples, following a factorial design. We used the software ISAREG to calculate the water balance according to the Penman-Monteith/FAO methodology and estimated the loss of maize productivity for the seasons 1989/90 to 2010/11, simulating 19 different seeding dates and three different maturation cycles. We concluded that (1) the changes in the soil's physical and hydrological properties due to the land uses and management didn't impair the physical quality of the soils in the region; (2) the managements of minimum tillage, direct seeding and permanent pastures didn't affected the readily available water storage; (3) that, otherwise, the variations in water storage were influenced by the soil classes; (4) the mean content of readily available water storage was 31.4 and 49.6% higher in Cambissoils, comparing respectively with Latossoils and Nitossoils in the minimum tillage system; (5) the ISAREG model estimated a mean reduction of maize productivity of 25.1%; (6) the highest loss was for August seeding and the lowest for seeding in January and February, varying up to 3.9% among maturation cycles evaluated; (7) the ISAREG model was appropriate to estimate the loss in productivity, but overestimates the loss when Etr / Etc-1 rate is greater than 0.8; (8) there is a 50% probability of maize productivity losses of 25% in the evaluated seasons for the western region of Santa Catarina. / A agricultura familiar do Extremo Oeste Catarinense se caracteriza por diversificados sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária, combinando diferentes usos e manejos em distintas classes de solos. Estes sistemas podem provocar alterações nas propriedades físico-hídricas e influenciar a qualidade física do solo e o armazenamento de água disponível para as plantas. Nesta região os períodos de deficiência hídrica frequentemente reduzem a produtividade do milho, principal cultura de importância socioeconômica. O estudo justifica-se em função da demanda definida em 2009 pela Epagri UGT9 na área de gestão de recursos hídricos com ênfase em metodologias de captação, armazenamento, utilização/reuso da água na agricultura. O objetivo do trabalho foi gerar informações sobre as alterações nas propriedades físico-hídricas do solo nos diversificados sistemas de produção da região e avaliar os impactos da deficiência hídrica sobre a redução de produtividade do milho. Neste sentido avaliaram-se os efeitos de diferentes usos e manejos nas classes predominantes de solos sobre o armazenamento de água facilmente disponível e estimou-se a redução de produtividade devido à deficiência hídrica através de simulações de épocas de semeadura. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em 36 estabelecimentos de agricultores familiares da região do Extremo Oeste Catarinense. Amostras de solo de cada classe e sistema de uso e manejo foram coletadas em quatro estabelecimentos, em quatro camadas (0-0,10, 0,10-0,20, 0,20- 0,40 e 0,40-0,60 m), totalizando 144 amostras (3 solos x 3 usos e manejos x 4 camadas x 4 estabelecimentos), seguindo um delineamento fatorial. Através do modelo ISAREG calculou-se o balanço hídrico decendial baseado na metodologia Penman-Monteith/FAO, e estimou-se a redução de produtividade do milho para o período 1989/90 a 2010/11, simulada para dezenove datas de semeadura e três ciclos de maturação. Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que: as alterações nas propriedades físico-hídricas devido aos usos e manejos não comprometeram a qualidade física dos solos da região do Extremo Oeste Catarinense; os manejos em cultivo mínimo, semeadura direta e uso de pastagem perene não afetaram o armazenamento de água facilmente disponível, porém as variações foram influenciadas pelas classes de solos; o conteúdo médio de armazenamento de água facilmente disponível foi 31,4 e 49,6% superior no Cambissolo, respectivamente em relação ao Latossolo e Nitossolo no manejo em cultivo mínimo; o modelo ISAREG estimou uma redução de produtividade média de 25,1%; a maior redução ocorre na semeadura de agosto e a menor nas semeaduras entre janeiro e fevereiro, com variação de até 3,9% entre os ciclos de maturação avaliados; o modelo ISAREG é apropriado para estimar a redução de produtividade, porém superestima seu valor quando a razão Etr Etc-1 é maior que 0,8; há 50% de probabilidade de ocorrer redução de 25% na produtividade de milho nas épocas avaliadas na região do Extremo Oeste Catarinense.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / In order to overcome periods of drought and low water availability, deficit irrigation becomes an important tool as long as it is applied on the least sensitive periods of the crops development to reduce the impacts on the productivity. Furthermore, deficit irrigation can be most efficient when there is an understanding of the way plants lose water. Crop evapotranspiration (ETc) is divided into soil evaporation (Es) and crop transpiration (Tc). The objectives of this paper were, beside measuring the soil water balance for different crops (bean, soybean and maize), was to determine adequate crop base coefficients (Kcb) for southern Brazil conditions, partition ETc into Es and Tc to better evaluate and understand soil water dynamics along the crops development cycle, determine water productivity (WP) considering different levels of deficit irrigation, to compare scenarios of water consumption on main and secondary crop schedules. The soil water balance model SIMDualKc was used, after due calibration and validation, using the dual crop coefficient methodology (Kc dual). A series of experiments were done (drybeans in 2010/11; maize in secondary schedule in 2010/11; maize in 2011/12; and soybean in 2014/15), with the imposition of different irrigation deficits as treatments, using drip irrigation and mulching. The results of SIMDualKc simulations show good agreement between the observed and simulated available soil water (ASW) content, values of regression coefficients (b0) were in average 0,98 for drybeans, 0,97 for soybean, 1,0 for secondary schedule maize and 1,05 for regular maize. The adjusted Kcb values for local conditions were respectively to bean, soybean and maize, 0,15; 0,15; 0,2 for the initial period (Kcb ini), 1,03; 1,0; 1,12 for the middle season (Kcb mid); and 0,2 for the end season for all crops (Kcb end). The results of water balance for each crop show that the less water is given to the plants, the better the water use, keeping in mind that ETc have not reduced in the same proportion. Regarding main and secondary schedules for maize the results for soil water balance show that main schedule maize had an increased water consumption (higher ETc) when compared to secondary schedule. The Es component was lower than 26% of ETc, for bean and soybean, and lower than 9% of ETc for maize, indicating the positive effect of mulching. / Para contornar períodos de secas e de baixa disponibilidade hídrica, a irrigação deficitária constitui-se em uma ferramenta importante, desde que aplicada nos períodos menos sensíveis das culturas, a fim de reduzir os impactos sobre a produtividade das culturas. Além disso, a irrigação deficitária pode ser mais eficiente quando se compreende o modo como ocorre a perda de água pelas plantas, a evapotranspiração das culturas (ETc), que se divide em evaporação do solo (Es) e transpiração da cultura (Tc). Os objetivos deste trabalho consistiram em (a) realizar o balanço hídrico do solo cultivado com diferentes culturas (feijão, soja e milho) e determinar os coeficientes de cultura basal (Kcb) mais adequados para as condições do Sul do Brasil; (b) particionar a ETc em Es e Tc para melhor avaliação e entendimento da dinâmica da água no solo ao longo do ciclo das culturas; (c) avaliação da produtividade da água (WP) considerando diferentes níveis de irrigação deficitária; (d) comparação de cenários entre cultivo de safra e safrinha no que se refere ao consumo de água pelas plantas. Para isso, utilizou-se o modelo de balanço hídrico SIMDualKc, o qual foi devidamente calibrado e validado, e que utiliza a metodologia dos coeficientes culturais duais (Kc dual). Experimentos foram conduzidos (feijão em 2010/11; milho safrinha em 2010/11; milho safra em 2011/12; e soja em 2014/15), com a imposição de diferentes níveis de déficit hídrico, utilizando a irrigação por gotejamento e com presença de resíduos vegetais na superfície do solo. Os resultados obtidos com as simulações do modelo SIMDualKc apresentaram boa concordância entre os valores de água disponível no solo (ASW) observados e simulados, com valores de coeficiente de regressão (b0) de, em média, 0,98 para feijão, 0,97 para soja, 1,0 para milho safrinha e 1,05 para milho safra. Os valores de Kcb ajustados para as condições locais foram, respectivamente para feijão, soja, milho, para o período inicial (Kcb ini) 0,15; 0,15; 0,2; para o período intermediário (Kcb mid) 1,03; 1,0; 1,12; e para o período final (Kcb end) 0,2 para todas as culturas. Os resultados do balanço hídrico do solo para cada uma das culturas demonstraram que quanto menor a quantidade de água aplicada nas plantas, melhor uso foi feito desta água pelas plantas, tendo em vista que a ETc não reduziu-se na mesma proporção. No que se refere a comparação de cenários entre milho safra e safrinha, os resultados do balanço hídrico do solo também demonstraram que o milho cultivado durante a época de safra teve um maior consumo de água (maior ETc) quando comparado ao milho cultivado no período de safrinha. O componente Es foi inferior a 26% da ETc, para feijão e soja, e inferior a 9% da ETc para milho safra e safrinha, indicando assim o efeito positivo da utilização de resíduos vegetais sobre a superfície do solo.

Traditional irrigation was practiced in Ethiopia since time immemorial. Despite this, water productivity in the sector remained low. A survey on the Godino irrigation scheme revealed that farmers used the same amount of water and intervals, regardless of crop species and growth stage. In an effort to improve the water productivity, two traditional irrigation scheduling methods were compared with two scientific methods, using furrow irrigation. The growth performance and tuber yield of potato (cv. Awash) revealed that irrigation scheduling using a neutron probe significantly outperformed the traditional methods, followed by the SWB model Irrigation Calendar. Since the NP method involves high initial cost and skills, the use of the SWB Calendar is suggested as replacement for the traditional methods. SWB is a generic crop growth model that requires parameters specific to each crop, to be determined experimentally before it could be used for irrigation scheduling. It also accurately describes deficit irrigation strategies where water supply is limited. Field trials to evaluate four potato cultivars for growth performance and assimilate partitioning, and onions' critical growth stages to water stress were conducted. Crop-specific parameters were also generated. Potato and onion crops are widely grown at the Godino scheme where water scarcity is a major constraint. These crop-specific parameters were used to calibrate and evaluate SWB model simulations. Results revealed that SWB model simulations for Top dry matter (TDM), Harvestable dry matter (HDM), Leaf area index (LAI), soil water deficit (SWD) and Fractional interception (FI) fitted well with measured data, with a high degree of statistical accuracy. The response of onions to water stress showed that bulb development (70-110 DATP) and bulb maturity (110-145) stages were most critical to water stress, which resulted in a significant reduction in onion growth and bulb yields. SWB also showed that onion yield was most sensitive to water stress during these two stages. An irrigation calendar, using the SWB model, was developed for five different schemes in Ethiopia, using long-term weather data and crop-specific parameters for potatoes and onions. The calendars revealed that water depth varied, depending on climate, crop type and growth stage. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Plant Production and Soil Science / unrestricted

Orientador: Carlos Alfredo Joly / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T11:49:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_CinthiaAparecida_M.pdf: 9588877 bytes, checksum: dbff1b6c72dbd211b47263ed9583a74c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: As florestas tropicais estão entre os ecossistemas terrestres mais diversos e produtivos do planeta, embora ocorram sob solos pobres. Para superar essa condição as plantas adaptam a si mesmas para alocarem biomassa adicional a órgãos onde os recursos são limitantes. Alguns desses órgãos são as raízes finas, raízes responsáveis pela absorção de água e nutrientes do solo. Elas representam um elevado custo de produção para as plantas, mas importante fonte de carbono para o solo. Devido as variações na disponibilidade de recursos influenciarem o estoque e a produção de raízes finas, as expectativas foram de que: i) o estoque e a produção anual de raízes finas aumentariam com a elevação da altitude; ii) a produção de raízes finas seria maior nos períodos de menor umidade; iii) haveria maior biomassa de raiz fina na porção superficial do solo (0-10 cm); iv) o uso de menores tempos de coleta em porções de solo pequenas não afetaria a acurácia do método escolhido. Para testar essas suposições, foram selecionados cinco hectares de Floresta Atlântica conservada. As informações sobre estrutura, composição florística e características do solo foram obtidas de estudos prévios. Em cada um desses hectares, foram instalados 16 coletores para o monitoramento da produção trimestral de raízes finas. O menor estoque e produção total de raízes finas foi encontrado na Floresta Ombrófila Densa Submontana e o maior na Floresta Ombrófila Densa Montana. Os períodos das maiores produções coincidiram com os das maiores temperaturas e precipitações acumuladas e a maior biomassa de raízes finas foi observada na camada de 0-10 cm. A adaptação do método não influenciou significativamente na amostragem das raízes finas. A variável que mais explicou a produção anual foi o conteúdo de água no solo. Com base De acordo com tais resultados, a conclusão foi que as variações climáticas ao longo do gradiente altitudinal não determinaram diretamente o estoque de raízes finas, mas as variações sazonais influenciaram na produção. Quaisquer alterações que venham a ocorrer nas taxas de precipitação, poderão assim, desencadear mudanças significativas na maneira como a Floresta Atlântica aloca carbono, investindo mais em raízes finas do que nos demais órgãos / Abstract: Tropical forests are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet, however they occur in poor soils. To overcome this condition plants adapt themselves allocating additional biomass to organs where resources are limiting. Some of these organs are the fine roots, roots responsible for absorbing water and nutrients from the soil. They represent a high cost of production to the plants, but at the same time, they are an important source of carbon to the soil. Variations in the resources available can influence stock and production of fine roots and because of that, the expectation was that: i) fine root stock and annual production would increase with elevation; ii) fine roots production would be higher in periods of lower moisture; iii) a higher fine roots biomass would be found in the superficial soil layer (0-10 cm); iv) the use of a short time of sampling in smaller soil portions should not affect the accuracy of the chosen method. To test these hypotheses five plots located in Atlantic Forest along an elevation gradient were selected. The information about the forest structure, floristic composition and soil traits were known from previous studies. Each individual plot had 16 ingrowth cores were installed to monitor the quarterly production of fine roots. Submontane Forest had the smallest stock and annual production of fine roots, while Montane Forest had the highest ones. Periods of higher production coincide with higher temperatures and accumulated rainfall. The first layer of soil, from zero to 10 cm, had the highest fine roots biomass. The method adaptation did not significantly influence the fine roots sampling. The soil water content was the variable which best explained annual production. According to the research results, the conclusion achieved was that the fine roots stock is not directly influenced by climatic variation over elevation, but the seasonal variation influenced the fine roots production. Any possible changes in precipitation rates, may thus trigger significant changes in the way that Atlantic Forest allocates carbon, investing more in fine roots that in other organs / Mestrado / Biologia Vegetal / Mestra em Biologia Vegetal

Understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of soil water and crop water stress within a field is critical for effective Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) management. Proper VRI can result in improved protection of the crop from early onset of crop water stress while minimizing runoff and drainage losses. The objectives of this study are (1) to examine zone delineation for informing irrigation recommendations from volumetric water content (VWC) and field capacity (FC) to grow similar or greater wheat yields with less water, (2) evaluate the ability to model soil and crop water dynamics within a season and within a field of irrigated winter wheat, and evaluate the sensitivity of crop water stress, evapotranspiration and soil water depletion outputs within a water balance model with Penman-Monteith evapotranspiration (ET) in response to adjusted soil properties, spring volumetric water content (VWC), and crop coefficient model input values. Five irrigation zones were delineated from two years of historical yield and evapotranspiration (ET) data. Soil sensors were placed at multiple depths within each zone to give real time data of the VWC values within each soil profile. Soil samples were taken within a 22 ha field of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum ‘UI Magic’) near Grace, Idaho, USA multiple times during a growing season to describe the spatial variation of VWC throughout the field, and to assist in modeling soil water dynamics and crop water stress through energy balance and water balance equations. Spatial variation of VWC was observed throughout the field, and on a smaller scale within each zone, suggesting the benefit of breaking portions of the field into zones for irrigation management purposes. Irrigation events were triggered when soil sensors detected low values of VWC, with each zone receiving unique rates intended to refill to zone specific FC. Cumulative irrigation rates varied among zones and the VRI approach saved water when compared to an estimated uniform Grower Standard Practice (GSP) irrigation approach. This method of zone management with soil sampling and sensors approximately represented the VWC within each zone and proved beneficial with effective reduction of irrigation rates in every zone compared to an estimated GSP. As such, there was a delay in the premature onset of crop water stress throughout some areas of the field. Variability in soil properties and spring soil moisture were key in giving accurate values to the model in order to make proper VRI management decisions. When assessing the model sensitivity, changing the inputs such as FC, wilting point (WP), total available water (TAW), spring VWC and crop coefficient (Kc) by -4 to +4 standard deviations away from their spatially average values, impacted the outputs of the model, with Kc having a large impact all three of the outputs. Further work is needed to improve the accuracy of representing VWC throughout a field, thus improving VRI management, and there is potential benefit in using a variable crop coefficient could to more accurate VRI management decisions from a soil water depletion model.

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Soil Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Woody plant encroachment results in the degradation of grasslands. It is defined here as the increase in density, cover and biomass of woody plants into formerly open grasslands, reducing grassland productivity. Globally, many arid and semi-arid savanna grasslands are affected by this land cover transformation which changes the vegetation structure by altering the ratio of woody plants relative to grass species and influences soil hydrology. In the existing literature there is limited information on the effects of woody plant encroachment on soil physical and hydrological properties, especially in savanna grasslands. This study quantified and compared the soil physical and hydrological properties in the topsoil and subsoil of open and woody plant encroached grassland sites located on two contrasting soil forms, namely Bainsvlei and Rensburg. To achieve this objective, the two soils were sampled at various depth intervals from dug soil profiles at both sites at Towoomba Research Station in Bela Bela, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Soil physical properties including bulk density, porosity and aggregate stability as well as hydrological properties (water retention and hydraulic conductivity) were determined from collected samples. Compared to open grassland, soil bulk density was 11% and 10% greater in the topsoil and subsoil, while porosity was respectively 6% and 9% lower in the topsoil and subsoil of woody plant encroached grassland for Rensburg soils. In Bainsvlei soil, there was a minimal increase and decrease in the soil bulk density and porosity, respectively. Soil aggregate stability increased by 38% in the subsoil of woody plant encroached grasslands in Rensburg soil, due to increasing clay content with depth. In Bainsvlei soil, the soil aggregate stability was 9% and 13% lower in the topsoil and subsoil of the woody plant encroached grasslands compared to open grassland. Furthermore, the results revealed that in both soils, there was lower soil water retention and hydraulic conductivity in the topsoil and subsoil layers of woody plant encroached grassland than in open grasslands. There were no significant differences observed for soil hydraulic conductivity in the Bainsvlei and Rensburg topsoil. The subsoil hydraulic conductivity decreased by 24% in Bainsvlei and 44% in Rensburg soils in the woody plant encroached grassland. The soil water retention (SWR) decreased with an increase in woody plants. Specifically, there was 25% and 42% decrease in SWR with woody plant encroachment in the topsoil and subsoil of Bainsvlei soil, respectively. The same trend was observed in the Rensburg soils with 50% and 19% decrease in SWR in the topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Overall, the results revealed that soil type and depth influenced soil physical and hydrological properties in the studied woody plant encroached savanna grassland. As such, interventions aimed at controlling woody plant encroachment need to factor in soil type and depth in the development of management practices tailored to improve the soil hydrology of savanna grasslands

The objectives of this research were to 1) measure the extent to which water vapor movement results in water accumulation in freezing base materials; 2) evaluate the effect of soil stabilization on water vapor movement in freezing base materials; 3) determine if the corresponding changes in water content are sufficient to cause frost heave during winter; 4) determine if the corresponding changes in water content are sufficient to cause reductions in stiffness during spring; 5) evaluate relationships between selected material properties, freezing conditions, and the occurrence and impact of water vapor movement; and 6) numerically simulate heat and water movement in selected pavement design scenarios. The research involved extensive laboratory and field testing, statistical analyses, and numerical modeling. The results of the laboratory testing, which included gradations, Atterberg limits, soil classifications, specific gravity and absorption values, electrical conductivity values, moisture-density relationships, soil-water characteristic curves, moisture-stiffness curves, hydraulic conductivity values, and frost susceptibility assessments, were used to characterize each material and enable subsequent statistical analyses. Testing of both treated and untreated materials enabled investigation of a wide variety of material properties. The results of the field testing, which included temperature, moisture content, water potential, elevation, and stiffness data over time, provided the basis for comparing pavement sections with and without capillary barriers and established the framework for numerical modeling. In a pavement section with a capillary barrier underlying the base layer, water vapor movement from the subgrade through the capillary barrier may be expected to increase the water content of the base layer by 1 to 3 percent during a typical winter season in northern Utah for base materials similar to those studied in this research. During winter, cold temperatures create an ideal environment for water vapor to travel upward from the warm subgrade soil below the frost line, through the capillary barrier, and into the base material. Soil stabilization can lead to increased or decreased amounts of water vapor movement in freezing base materials depending on the properties of the stabilized soil, which may be affected by gradation, mineralogy, and stabilizer type and concentration. Accumulation of water from long-term water vapor movement into frost-susceptible base materials underlain by a capillary barrier can lead to frost heave of the base layer as it approaches saturation, as water available in the layer can be redistributed upwards to create ice lenses upon freezing. However, the incremental increase in total water content that may occur exclusively from water vapor movement during a single winter season in northern Utah would not be expected to cause measurable increases in thaw weakening of the base layer during spring. Because water in a base layer overlying a capillary barrier cannot drain until nearly reaching positive pore pressures, the base layer will remain indefinitely saturated or nearly saturated as demonstrated in this research. For materials similar to those studied in this research, potentially important material properties related to the occurrence of water vapor movement during freezing include dry density, percent of material finer than the No. 200 sieve, percent of material finer than 0.02 mm, apparent specific gravity, absorption, initial water content, porosity, degree of saturation, hydraulic conductivity, and electrical conductivity. The rate at which water vapor movement occurs is also dependent on the thermal gradient within the given material, where higher thermal gradients are associated with higher amounts of water vapor movement. The numerical modeling supported the field observations that the capillary barrier effectively trapped moisture in the overlying base material, causing it to remain saturated or nearly saturated throughout the monitoring period. Only non-frost-susceptible aggregate base materials should be specified for use in cold climates in conjunction with capillary barriers, and the base material in this case should be assumed to remain in a saturated or nearly saturated condition during the entire service life of the pavement. Further study is recommended on water vapor movement in freezing aggregate base materials.