Variabilidade espacial de propriedades físicas e químicas de um neossolo flúvico cultivado com cenoura irrigada com água moderadamente salina

Abstract

An experiment has been performed aiming to evaluate the spatial-time variation patterns of soil humidity in an irrigated area in Pesqueira – PE. The experiment has been carried out in an irrigated plot with carrot, with duration of 96 days. Two irrigated sectors (1 and 2) with 900 m2 each (30 m x 30 m) have been monitored in the experiment, using microsprinklers. Dead cover has been used to cover the soil surface after 23 days of sowing, in sector 2. The irrigation water was derived from a nearby Amazon well. The applied irrigation has been estimated considered the crop demand and a leaching fraction of 20%. Neutron probe access tubes have been installed to measure soil moisture at 20 and 40 cm depths, in 49 points in sector 1 and 52 points in sector 2, in a 5 x 5 m grid. The neutron probe readings were performed one hour after irrigation, twice a week, with a total of 20 monitoring days. Data has been analysed using descriptive statistics, geostatistics and temporal stability, based on relative difference and the Spearman correlation. The soil moisture in sector 2, for the two depths, was higher than in sector 1 for the whole cropping period. Temporal dependence for the whole period has been found through high values of the Spearman correlation test thoughout the sampling times. It has been possible to identify points in the sampling space representing the average soil moisture content, using the relative difference technique. The spatial dependence of the soil moisture content has been inferred through semi-variograms and contouring maps for the two sectors, at the two different depths.