The effects of soil water depletion levels on the vegetative development of drip irrigated three-years-old peach palm plants were evaluated. Four irrigation levels were established for a 94-day period (August to November of 1997), based on 25% (T1), 50% (T2) and 75% (T3) of available water consumed in function of the evapotranspiration of measured reference in a lysimeter of constant water table, and the control (T4) without irrigation. A split randomized block design, with four treatments, eight replications and sixteen inner plants per plot was utilized. Peach palm response to the different treatments was evaluated throughout the absolute growth rate of the characteristics: stem diameter at soil level, plant height, foliar raquis length, offshoot and functional leaf number, as well as emission of new leaves. The evaluations began four days before treatment imposition and were repeated at 34; 68; 83; 98; 133 and 168 days. There were differences between treatments for the number of emitted leaves, plant diameter and height. Treatment 1 (25%) was superior to the others for emitted leaves rate, while for the characteristics height and diameter, the same treatment only differed significantly from the control. There were no differences between treatments for raquis length, offshoot and functional leaf number. Significant differences among the evaluation periods were found for all the measured characteristics, with the largest increments being obtained after 68 days from the beginning of the evaluations. When comparing the irrigated treatment, especially during the periods of water deficiency, it was observed that the best development in relation to diameter and number of new leaves was obtained when irrigation was done at two day intervals.
Bactris gasipaes; irrigation sheets; vegetative development; irrigation interval
