OLIVEIRA, Eduardo Bueno de.; PAVANI, Luiz Carlos.
Abstract:
The work aimed to evaluate irrigation management systems for ‘Cleópatra” tangerine
tree rootstock production. The experiment was carried on a greenhouse from March to August, 2004.
The plants were grown in plastic bags with Rendimax® Citrus commercial substratum previously
fertilized. The irrigation management treatments were 2 and 4 days of fixed irrigation frequency,
tensiometer at matric potential of -5 kPa, -10 kPa and -15 kPa and Irrigás® at matric potential of
-13 kPa with porous cup in the horizontal and vertical position in the plastic bags. Weekly measures of
plants height and stem diameter were made and when the plants stem diameter reached 6 to 7 mm, leaf
area, whole plant dry mass and root volume had been evaluated. It did not have statistic difference
between treatments for none of the evaluated variables. However, it was possible to observe that the
fixed irrigation frequency is the easier system to operate by the grower while the Irrigás® in the
vertical porous cup position beyond to be easy to use for determination when irrigate also it allows
greater possibility of water economy considering the resistance to the water deficit shown by
‘Cleópatra’ tangerine plants inside of the matric potentials substratum range evaluated.
