The objective in this work was to explore the applicability of fractal theory to estimate the soil water retention curve, through the model proposed by Brooks & Corey (1964), modified by Pierrer (1996), using the fractal dimension based on observed data of the distribution of particles and pore sizes. The study was accomplished in a soil cultivated with sesame and irrigated with a conventional sprinkle irrigation system. The dimensions DWRC and DPSD, which are fractal measures representative of the distribution of the size of the pores and of the particles of the soil, respectively, were defined as descriptive tools for estimating the soil water retention curve. Samples of the soil were collected for the depths of 0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm, totaling 36 samples. It was verified that the Brooks & Corey model, modified with the use of the fractal approach based on the soil water contents as a function of the pores of the soil (BCDSWRC), is simple in its use and capable of predicting satisfactorily the retention curve as well as the available water in the soil.
soil physics; pores size; water management
