This study was carried out over the period from August to October 1999, aiming the evaluation of trickle irrigation systems used in coffee crop in the northern part of Espírito Santo State and the savannah areas of Minas Gerais State, as well as to characterize the percentage of wetted area (PWA) of these irrigation systems. The wetted bulb dimensions measurements were accomplished for determining the percent wetted area. According to the results, just one system presented a value lower than 70% for the distribution uniformity coefficient, reflecting a bad uniformity. Concerning to the other results, ten systems showed the distribution uniformity values ranging from 70 to 80%, whereas for eight systems, it ranged from 80 to 90%, and for twelve systems the uniformity was above 90%, which could be considered as reasonable, good and excellent uniformities, respectively. Among the determined values, it was observed that most of the systems presenting good to excellent uniformity were located in the region of Minas Gerais State. In relation to PWA, the values ranged from 19 to 100%, and just one system presented a value below the minimum limit (20%) recommended for wetted area.
application uniformity; irrigation evaluation; percentage of wetted area
