Abstract: The accelerated and disorganized deforestation in Central Brazil and the transformation of these natural ecosystems into crop land or pastures, without adequate technologies, resulted in irrecoverable damages to the environment, especially with respect to water and soil conservation, with particular mention to compactation. As a consequence, the soil intake rate decreased and surface runoff increased, thus causing laminar erosion, low soil quality, silting up of rivers, floods and decreased sustainability of family properties. With the objective of reverting this scenario, a demonstrative unit was implemented in Sete Lagoas MG, in 1995, in a property of 70 ha, where 30 micro-cachments ("barraginhas") were built to contain surface runoff damages.These micro-cachtments also retain pollution sources carried by the waters and favor the recharge of good quality water tables, by means of improving soil intake rate, recovering water sources and alleviating droughts. Due to the success of this demonstration unit, by means of field visits by farmers, NGO´s and publication of articles in journals and national/international congresses, a decision was taken to extend the experience and build 960 low-cost micro-catchments, in 1998, in 60 small properties covering all the micro-basin of the Paiol stream, in the village/community of Estiva, Sete Lagoas county. That was only possible because of the active participation of small farmers in the indication of existing degraded sites and the support provided in terms of food and lodging for the working teams As a result, it is now possible to hear the farmers testimonials on the effects observed in elevation of water tables observed in their domestic reservoirs ("cisternas"), better utilization of the water and drought alleviation, that have increased their yields.

Con el objetivo de estudiar los requerimientos hidricos de la albahaca blanca (Ocimum basilicum L.) se establecieron diferentes niveles de humedad en el suelo, evaluandose el potencial hidrico, la conductancia estomatica y el contenido relativo de agua, asi como las masas fresca y seca de la parte aerea. Del analisis de los resultados se obtuvo que la aplicacion del 75% del balance de evaporacion-precipitacion de la semana anterior al riego, mostro los mejores valores, que se encuentran en torno a los 20 y 40 g de masa fresca de tallos y hojas respectivamente y de 6 y 9 g de masa seca, con valores aceptables de las variables que miden el estado hidrico de las plantas

Ao longo dos tempos, têm se buscado alternativas para aumentar a disponibilidade de água para as plantas. Devido à capacidade de absorver e reter água, os polímeros hidroabsorventes surgiram como uma possibilidade de contribuição para a solução do problema. Este trabalho objetivou avaliar o efeito de dois polímeros hidroabsorventes utilizados no solo como condicionadores: o Terracottem e o Hidratassolo. Os estudos consistiram em obter as curvas características de retenção de água em dois materiais de solo, sendo um classificado como Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo de textura franco-argilo-arenosa e o outro como Podzólico Vermelho-Amarelo de textura argilosa, com adição dos polímeros hidroabsorventes em diferentes concentrações. Foram conduzidos três experimentos, visando à obtenção das curvas características de retenção de água, sendo o primeiro experimento resultante da incorporação de sete granulometrias e cinco concentrações do Hidratassolo em cada um dos solos; o segundo, resultante da incorporação de cinco concentrações do Terracottem em cada solo; e o terceiro, no qual as curvas foram obtidas das sete granulometrias do Hidratassolo e da granulometria comercial do Terracottem, sem mistura com solos. A avaliação de alteração das características de retenção de água foi feita com base nos valores de disponibilidade total de água no solo, capacidade de campo e ponto de murchamento permanente. Concluiu-se que a retenção de água nos dois solos estudados foi maior à medida que aumentou o diâmetro dos grânulos do Hidratassolo e a concentração dos dois polímeros. O Hidratassolo reteve mais água, com base no peso seco, que o Terracottem. A tensão de 1,5 MPa não foi suficiente para eliminar toda água retida nos polímeros, fazendo com que o teor de umidade dos solos tratados fosse maior que o da testemunha no ponto de murchamento. O Hidratassolo foi mais eficiente na retenção de água para o solo argiloso. A alta capacidade de absorção e retenção de água pelos polímeros a baixas tensões indica que estes podem reduzir perdas de água por percolação e, também, a altas tensões, reduzir o déficit hídrico em culturas conduzidas durante períodos secos do ano. | Along the times, alternatives to increase water availability to plants have been sought. Due to the capacity of absorbing and retaining water, hydro-absorbent polymers have arisen as a possibility of contribution to the solution of this problem. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of two hydro- absorbent polymers used as soil conditioners: Terracottem and Hidratassolo. The studies consisted of obtaining curves representative of water retention in two soils classified as a sandy-clayey-loamy Red-yellow Latosol and the other as a clayey Red-yellow Podzol, with addition of hydro-absorbent polymers in different concentrations. Three experiments were carried out in order to obtain the curves representative of water retention: experiment one, with incorporation of seven particle-sizes and five concentrations in each soil; experiment two, with incorporation of five concentrations of Terracottem in each soil; and experiment three, in which the curves were obtained from the seven particle-sizes of Hidratassolo and from the Terracottem commercial particle-size, without mixing with soils. The evaluation of change in water retention characteristics was based in the values of total available water in the soil, field capacity and permanent wilting point. It was concluded that, water retention in the two soils increased with the diameter of the Hidratassolo particles and the concentration of the two polymers. Hidratassolo retained more water than Terracottem on a dry-weight basis. The tension of 1,5 MPa was not enough to eliminate all the water retained in the polymers, making the moisture level of the treated soils higher than the control in the wilting point. Hidratassolo was more effective for water retention in the clayey soil. The high absorption capacity and water retention by the polymers at low tensions indicate that they can reduce water losses by percolation and, also at high tensions, the water deficit in crops cultivated in dry periods of the year.

O presente experimento teve como objetivo comparar valores de velocidade de infiltração de água no solo, determinados por duas metodologias distintas: infiltrômetro de anéis concêntricos (IANC) e infiltrômetro de aspersores (IAS). Em uma parcela de controle com dimensões de 12 x 12 m obtiveram-se, pela metodologia do IANC, 36 curvas de infiltração de água no solo e a velocidade básica de infiltração de água nesta área, através da metodologia do IAS. Comparando-se os resultados obtidos em ambas as metodologias, constatou-se que a média aritmética dos valores obtidos pela metodologia do IANC superestimou a velocidade de infiltração de água no solo, obtida pela metodologia do IAS, e que somente os valores da média geométrica e da moda obtidas com o IANC se aproximaram da velocidade de infiltração obtida com o IAS.<br>The objective of this paper was to compare values of water infiltration rate in soil, obtained with two distinct methodologies: cylinder infiltrometer and sprinkler infiltrometer. Thirty six infiltration rate curves were obtained using the cylinder infiltrometer methodology and four infiltration rate curves using a sprinkler infiltrometer. It was observed that the arithmetic mean of results from the cylinder infiltrometer methodology obtained overestimated the infiltration rate obtained with sprinkler infiltrometer and that the geometric mean and mode of the results obtained with cylinder infiltrometer approached the velocity of infiltration of water in soil obtained with the sprinkler infiltrometer.