Irrigation water depths and soil covers in carrot crop

The use of soil covers may decrease water consumption and improve the crop sustainability Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate biophysical parameters and yield of carrot crops (cultivar Brasília) grown under different irrigation water depths and soil cover conditions. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Viçosa, MG, Brazil. A randomized block design with four replications was used, in a 5×3 factorial arrangement.The treatments consisted of 5 irrigation water depths, based on the actual soil water capacity (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% ASWC) and 3 soil covers (white polyethylene, biodegradable semi-kraft paper, and no soil cover - Control). The soil and leaf temperatures, number of leaves, root length, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and fresh root weight were evaluated. The data were subjected to analysis of variance through the F test and the means compared by the Tukey’s test ( p ≤0.05); regression analysis was carried out using the equation with the highest significant fit. The use of semi-kraft paper was a good option for the carrot crop; and the water depths of up to 60% ASWC did not hinder the crop.