Water requirement of gerberas and their behavior under a water-saving strategy, in northern Bahia

Gerbera crop evapotranspiration was defined, as well as its relationship with meteorological elements and the influence of different irrigation rates on its biometric characteristics, under a shaded mesh environment in Juazeiro-BA. The experiment was performed in randomized 4x2 blocks, with irrigation rates (60; 80; 100; and 120% of water consumption per plant) and gerbera hybrids (‘Essandre’ and DTCS), in five replicates. Gerbera water consumption was determined using total mass variation (vase+substrate+plant) on consecutive days. Total water volume required was 68.19 and 66.9 L plant-1, in DTCS and ‘Essandre’, respectively, in a 240-day cycle after acclimatization, with no significant difference between them. Mean values of the relationship between plant water consumption and reference crop evapotranspiration outside the shaded environment were 0.042 and 0.025L plant-1 mm-1day-1 during the vegetative phase and 0.055 and 0.029 mmL plant-1 mm-1day-1 during the reproductive phase of ‘Essandre’ and DTCS, respectively. The equation (Y=0.1176 *+ 0.0159*x ETo+ 0.0008** x DAA) estimated the water volume required by gerberas. Water stress negatively affected leaf area, number of gerbera leaves, and gerbera leaf temperature, with quadratic behavior.