A field experiment was carried out at the Irrigation District of Bebedouro, located in the municipality of Petrolina, Brazil (latitude: 09º09'S, longitude: 40º22'W, altitude: 365.5 m) during 1998 and 1999 to evaluate the root distribution and water consumption in a seven year old mango orchard, cv. Tommy Atkins, planted in a grid spacing of 5 m between plants and 8 m between rows, and irrigated by drippers. Effective rooting depth was around 180 cm and mean water consumption was 4.6 and 4.1 mm d-1 in 1998 and in 1999, respectively. Errors in soil water balance to estimate the actual evapotranspiration for seven day periods was 8%.
Mangifera indica L; roots; tensiometer; soil moisture
