The main objective of this work was to evaluate two methods of determination of soil available water (a direct method and other in laboratory) and the effect of three levels of available water (10, 25 and 40%) in cotton crop (Gossypium hirsutum L. r. latifolium Hutch). This work was developed in green house condition in the Departamento de Solos e Engenharia Rural/Centro de Ciências Agrárias/Universidade Federal da Paraíba, located in Areia, PB, Brazil. A completely randomized block was utilized in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement, with three replications. The variance analysis showed that the values of the available water in soil using the direct method were significantly (p <= 0.05) bigger than the lab method. The management of irrigation in the cotton crop using 40% of available water determinated through the direct method showed the better results of evapotranspiration, leaf area, aboveground biomass. There was interaction of methods x levels of available water for all variables studied.
Gossypium hirsutum; evapotranspiration; soil water balance; crop management; yields
