Produção de hastes florais de gérbera submetidas a diferentes tensões de água no solo

The gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) is a major flowers traded in Brazil and worldwide. Despite its importance, in Brazil the gerberas in irrigation management is characterized by empiricism, necessitating more studies on the use of water by culture. Due to the desire of farmers to cultivate all year round flowers and ornamental plants, especially in unfavorable climatic periods, the solution was to produce them in a greenhouse. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different soil water tensions on characteristics of gerbera (cultivar Festival Red Eyes), drip irrigated in order to establish criteria for appropriate irrigation management. The experiment was conducted in the area experienced Engineering Department, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) in the period January-May 2012. The statistical design was a randomized block design (RBD) with four treatments and four replications. The treatments were applied in volumes of water into the soil until moisture at field capacity, for when the soil water tension reached 15, 25, 35 and 50 kPa. Tensions soil water were monitored by tensiometers installed at 0.3 m depth. From the results, the highest values were: 455 sheets, 15 kPa, 79 inflorescences, 15 kPa, 22.5 cm tall stem of the inflorescence, 15 kPa, 4.25 mm diameter rod, 35 kPa, 24.39 mm diameter core, to 35 kPa to 73.96 mm diameter inflorescence at 35 kPa and 7.30 g fresh weight of inflorescence, 25 kPa. It was concluded that for the vegetative stage and to a higher productivity due to irrigate 15 kPa. In the reproductive phase, the tension which starts irrigation is 35 kPaDissertação apresentada à Universidade Federal de Lavras, como parte das exigências do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Hídricos em Sistemas Agrícolas, área de concentração em Engenharia e Manejo de Irrigação e Drenagem, para a obtenção do título de Mestre