Manejo da rega na cultura do crisantemo de corte cultivado em ambiente protegido

the aim of this research was to identify the soil water tension that results in the best quality of the cut chrysanthemum. the experimental design was totally randomized with 3 repetitions, subdivided in 30 parcels, each one controlled by a register, with drip tape lines. treatments were defined for 10 soil water tension levels: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 e 50 kpa. evaluations of leaf area, driy weight, diameter and plant hight were done each 14 days period, using 3 plants per parcel. results showed that there was no difference between treatments for most of the evaluated variables. 50 kpa resulted in taller stems and larger number of packets a1. but induced high water loss by percolation. we suggest growers to use tension between 10 at 20 kpa for a good balance between irrigation cost and flower quality.