DEFICIÊNCIA HÍDRICA VIA BALANÇO HÍDRICO EM DIFERENTES ÉPOCAS DE CULTIVO DA SOJA NA REGIÃO DE UBERLÂNDIA-MG

Abstract

For a crop to reach its maximum productive capacity, water availability in the root zone is necessary. Thus, the water deficit is one of the factors that most limits the potential development of a crop. In this context, the objective of this study was to determine the best soybean growing season in the Uberlândia-MG region, taking into account a long historical series of climatic data. The meteorological database used was composed of a 40-year historical series (1980 to 2020). For the 40 agricultural years studied, daily sequential water balances were calculated, taking into account four different growing dates: November 1, November 15, December 1 and December 15. For each cultivation date, water deficits were analyzed throughout the entire crop cycle, and in phenological sub-periods (S-V1/V2; V2-R1; R1-R5/R7; R7-R9). For all sowing dates, water deficiency was observed in almost all phenological subperiods of soybean. The most advantageous sowing dates, for the studied region, were between November 15 and December 1, due to the lower water deficits in the two initial subperiods, which can contribute to productivity gains.