Irrigação por aspersão em arroz em função da tensão de água no solo

Abstract

Rice is a basic food for more than half of world population. Rice crops are almost totally irrigated by flood, a system with high water demand. In order to decrease water use in rice crops, farmers start to adopt the sprinkler irrigation. However, there is little knowledge concerning the adaptation of rice crop to aerobic conditions, mainly about rice water needs, since this information wasn’t necessary in flood irrigation. This work aimed to determine the relationship between rice yield and soil available water and the effect of different soil water tensions on rice crop agronomic performance. A field experiment was conducted at Embrapa Clima Temperado, Estação Experimental Terras Baixas (ETB) located in the municipality of Capão do Leão-RS. In the agricultural harvests 2011/2012, 2012/2013 e 2013/2014 in a sprinkler irrigated area, these irrigation management were evaluated: 10kPaIrrigation when the average of the soil water tension was 10kPa, during all crop cycle; 20kPa- Irrigation when the average of the soil water tension was 20kPa, during all crop cycle; 40kPa - Irrigation when the average of the soil water tension was 40kPa, during all crop cycle; 40/20kPa - Irrigation in the vegetative stage, when the average of the soil water tension was 40kPa, and irrigation in the reproductive stage when the average of the soil water tension was 20kPa and 40/10kPa Irrigation in the vegetative stage, when the average of the soil water tension was 40kPa, and irrigation in the reproductive stage when the average of the soil water tension was 10kPa. For each treatment Watermark sensors were installed at a depth of 10cm to monitor the soil water tension. The sensor installation point corresponds to the center of an experimental unit whose area was 4m2. In each experimental unit, soil water tension, chemical and physical soil attributes and the rice crop agronomic performance and yield were determined. The results showed that increasing soil water tension decreases sprinkler irrigated rice yield. Soil water tension of 10kPa, which corresponds to this soil field capacity, is the appropriate value for sprinkler irrigation management to rice crop, BRS Pampa variety, mainly in the reproductive period. The spatial variability of soil water tension has an effect on spatial distribution of the sprinkler irrigated rice yield. The closer to 40 kPa is the soil water tension smaller the plant height and the number of filled grains per panicle. However, no effect was observed on the number of stems per meter, 1000 grains weight, and spikelet sterility. The rice yield showed a positive relation with the variables microporosity, phosphorus and potassium available in the soil; an opposite behavior was found for macroporosity and aluminum saturation variables. The relationship between soil water tension and physico-chemical soil attributes is crucial to determine the variability of the rice yield irrigated by sprinkler in lowland areas in the Rio Grande do Sul state.