Quantification of hydraulic processes that occur in small plastic containers used for seedlings, during and between irrigations, is essential for effective management of irrigation and fertilization on substrates. Tests were carried at the Hydraulics Laboratory of the Federal University of Lavras, with the objective of determining the hydraulic conductivity of partially saturated substrates, using the method proposed by Bruce & Klute (1956), on six substrates (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 e S6) with four replications. Flow tests were conducted to estimate the horizontal diffusivity and, through this, the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K(θ)). The rate at which the moisture expands in space and time occurs differently among substrates, especially substrates S5 (pine bark, vermiculite and peat) and S2 (ash, peat and other materials), which had lower and higher diffusivity, respectively. There is a sharp decrease in K(θ) after increasing tension, especially on the substrate S3 (pine bark and topsoil), while for the substrate S5 values were so small that they do not stand out among others. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity increases exponentially with increasing in water content.
hydraulic processes; flow; water movement
