The water’s quality, referent to the clay amounts, organic matter and soluble salts, can affect the biological efficiency of herbicides. A study was made in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to determine pH, electrical conductivity, and acidification curves of water used in herbicide applications, from artesian wells, creeks and ponds. The 239 samples of water were collected in productive regions and the analyses were made at the Soils Department of the Federal University of Santa Maria. The water from artesian wells had a greater number of samples whose pH was higher than 7.0, high electrical conductivity, and required more acid to decrease the pH. The relationship between electrical conductivity of water and the need for acid to lower its pH to 4.0 was high and positive. The relation between the pH of water is not directly related to the electrical conductivity or need for acid. The electrical conductivity establishes correctly the need for chloride acid to lower the pH.
water hardness; pH; soluble salts
