Avaliação do impacto de gotas sobre a superfície de um latossolo vermelho escuro irrigado por aspersão

Abstract

This work was carried out at the Hydraulics Laboratory of UFLA with the objectives to study the splash behavior of a soil during sprinkler irrigation, and evaluate the soil quantity moved from soil surface by drop impact action of diferent sizes, thrown by a sprinkler head. It also evaluates the soil splash at a soil surface partially covered by plant residues from one soybean crop season. The drop size distribution from the sprinklers head ZE - 30D (ASBRASIL) was determined at five positions along the distance reached by the water drops. This allowed the determination of kinetic energy of all drops. Soilsamples ofDark Red Latossol were placed inside cathers, distributed at same positions for splash determination. It could be observed an increase, from near to far from the sprinkler, that during the same irrigation, the amount of soil splashed reached a maximum value which depends upon the soil water content and the energy with which the drops impact the soil. It was also observed that the crop residues avoided totally the splash erosion.