Abstract
The TDR can be used to measure water content and nutrients in several media with a potential to monitor the xylem sap flow in plants. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between the xylem sap content and water available in the soil for sugarcane cultivation using TDR. The study was conducted in a protected environment with eight boxes (500 L). The boxes were divided into two treatments with different water application rates (1.6 and 3.4 L h-1) through subsurface irrigation. In each box TDR probes were inserted in the medium part of sugarcane stalk, totaling three probes per box to monitoring the sap flow. The soil water content was monitored using 20 net-placed probes. Therefore, the simultaneous monitoring of xylem sap and soil water content occurred for five months. As a result, it was obtained that the xylem content monitoring through TDR is moderately related to soil moisture, with a response to the absorption and translocation of the solution in the stem of sugarcane plants as a consequence of irrigation applications and/or fertirrigation. Thus, it was concluded that there is a weak relations between water contents in the soil and plant, especially for the treatment that used the highest flow rate (3.4 L h-1).
Highlights
Irrigated agriculture tends to grow in the future, considering the more and more constant climate change and droughts
The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between the xylem sap content and water available in the soil for sugarcane cultivation using Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR)
As it is the sector that uses water the most, the biggest challenge for the future is the search for water optimization in agriculture, which will reduce the pressure on water resources and making water available for other purposes
Summary
Irrigated agriculture tends to grow in the future, considering the more and more constant climate change and droughts. As it is the sector that uses water the most, the biggest challenge for the future is the search for water optimization in agriculture, which will reduce the pressure on water resources and making water available for other purposes. For accurate estimates of moisture and soil solution concentration, there is a tendency to use the Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) technique, in the laboratory and in the field. Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) consists of generating a high frequency electromagnetic pulse through a pair of conductors (denominated transmission lines) and detecting its reflection. Through the location of waves reflected in the time domain, and the spatial determination of pulse discontinuities, it is possible to determine the soil dielectric properties (PANDEY et al, 2013)
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