The aim of this work was to determine the corn sowing date (ES) with the least and the highest risk of water deficit in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Daily data during 34 years collected at a meteorological station in Santa Maria were used to calculate the daily water balance (BH), based on the Thornthwaite and Mather adapted model. Forty two ES were simulated, from August to February, for three corn maturation groups. The duration of the subperiods and cycle was estimated by residual growing degree-days with 10°C as base temperature for development. The BH was calculated considering the fraction of available water in the soil, a threshold below which water deficit starts. Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) was estimated with the adjusted Penman model. It was concluded that the water deficiency occurrence probability are great in October, November and the first half of December sowing dates, considering all the crop cycle. December and the beginning January sowing dates present the least risk of water stress during the most critic period, assuming enough soil moisture at sowing and emergence.
Zea mays L.; water balance; water stress
