Productive Aspects of Tropical Grasses under Different Soil Water Stresses

Abstract

For irrigation management, the methods that estimate the content and matric potential of available water in the soil that restricts the development of grasses are used. In this way, the objective was to evaluate the productive aspects of grasses in protected environment submitted to water stresses in the soil. Thus, in the experimental area of the Center of Agrarian Sciences and Engineering of the Federal University of Espírito Santo, at the geographic coordinates of 20º75'59'' South latitude, 41º48'24'' West longitude three experiments were implemented: Mombaça, Tifton 85 and Marandu, was conducted in a completely randomized design with five repetitions in a scheme of subdivided parcels, with the plots levels of water stress factor in the soil (20, 40, 50, 60 and 70 kPa) and the subplots levels 1st, 2nd and 3rd of cutting factor. The variables analyzed were aerial and root dry mass. Results showed that tensions do not provide differences in the dry mass for Mombaça forage. For Marandu higher dry mass results were obtained in 50, 60 and 70 kPa and for Tifton 85 in 20 and 60 kPa. In the tension of 60 kPa provided higher root dry weight for Mombaça; for Marandu, in the tensions of 20, 50, 60 and 70 kPa, while for the Tifton 85 no difference between soil water tensions was verified. It was observed that the higher production of dry mass demanded the larger water slides.